- France international has impressed in pre-season
- Completed a big-money move to Stamford Bridge
- Yet to be determined how long he will be out for
WHAT HAPPENED? The 25-year-old, who has joined the Blues this summer in a £53 million ($67m) transfer from RB Leipzig, lasted just 22 minutes during a friendly date at Soldier Field in Chicago. Nkunku took a tumble when being challenged by Mats Hummels and while he was able to make it through another 10 minutes, he eventually had to be replaced by Mykhailo Mudryk.
WHAT THEY SAID: Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino told the club’s official website when asked for an update on Nkunku: “The doctors are checking him and I hope it is not a big issue. He fell in the action which was maybe a penalty and he feels something in his knee, but we hope it is nothing big. We hope he can be back quickly with the team. We need a few days to assess him.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Pochettino refused to blame a shocking playing surface in Chicago for Nkunku’s injury, with the Argentine adding: “We took some risks because the pitch is not perfect because the facilities are used for a different sport. We won’t blame the pitch for the injury though. For me, it was bad luck.”
WHAT NEXT? Nkunku has impressed through his early outings for Chelsea – netting in pre-season clashes with Wrexham, Brighton and Fulham – but he now faces a race against time to make his competitive debut for the Premier League heavyweights in their 2023-24 opener against Liverpool on August 13.
Source: Goal.com
