Amidst the poor form, Chelsea fans did have something to get excited about lately. Their summer signing, Christopher Nkunku had finally returned after being out for the entire season so far. The excitement was understandable as Nkunku had been brilliant for Chelsea in the preseason before suffering an injury. He even came off the bench in the Blue’s EFL Cup win over Newcastle earlier this week. This made fans thinks that it wasn’t too long before he even started for the Blues.
However, Pochettino crushed all hopes, ruling out the prospect of a start for Christopher Nkunku in the next couple of games. Instead, he said that the attacker probably needs “weeks” before he’s ready.
‘We need to be patient’
In the press conference before the Wolves fixture, Pochettino said: “Everyone was excited [to see him subbed on] because everyone wants to see him fit and involved in the game. It’s good news because we know very well the quality and capacity to help the team in a good way he has.
“We need to patient, we need to give him time. We need to provide him the capacity to give his best form. To play from the beginning? I don’t know… it’s too early to see him start the game. In the next few games or weeks we’ll consider him in the starting eleven.”
Hopefully Nkunku can be a regular starter for Chelsea in 2024
Chelsea fans have waited so long for Nkunku, so might as well wait a couple more weeks. Its good to be sure than be sorry later, especially when it comes to a player with so much hype.
The Frenchman will most certainly miss the game against Wolves this weekend. Based on the manager’s words, the game against Luton Town on 30 December also seems to have come a bit too soon for the 26-year-old to start.
However, its almost certain that we’ll see Nkunku come off the bench for Chelsea in the remaining 2 games of the year. Barring any unfortunate events, Nkunku will most probably start in the first game of 2024, against Fulham on 13 January.
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