Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has provided a fitness update on Christopher Nkunku ahead of their final game of the season against Bournemouth on May 19. He said that the Frenchman is unlikely to play the entire 90 minutes of the Premier League clash at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues signed Nkunku from RB Leipzig last summer for a reported fee of âŹ60 million. He, however, struggled with a big knee injury in pre-season and was out for a while. Even after returning last year, he had further setbacks and has missed 39 games for the west London side this season.
Nkunku has now featured in the last three games, playing 14, 32, and 48 minutes respectively. He came on after Mykhaylo Mudryk’s injury in Chelsea‘s 2-1 win at Brighton & Hove Albion on May 15. In a pre-Bournemouth press conference, Pochettino said that the Frenchman played more than they expected, saying (via Football.London):
“He played more than we expected because of Mudryk [concussion]. I think tomorrow we will assess to see if he can start. It will be difficult to play 90 minutes. We need not to take risks. With the performance and medical staff, we will make the best decision for him.”
Nkunku, 26, has scored three goals in 13 appearances across competitions this season. This includes Chelsea’s second goal in the 2-1 win over Brighton.
Mauricio Pochettino on Chelsea’s form after Arsenal defeat
The Blues suffered a 5-0 defeat against London rivals Arsenal on April 23 after being eliminated from the FA Cup semi-finals by Manchester City. They have been in terrific form since then, though, with four wins and one draw in five games. This includes a 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur and a 5-0 win over West Ham United.
In his pre-Bournemouth press conference, Pochettino was asked about Chelsea’s response to the Arsenal defeat and he said:
“It is not a coincidence. Before we played Arsenal, we played Man City but before we played Everton and beat them 6-0. There have been so many injuries and the team had no time to recover. After the disappointment at the weekend to lose in the FA Cup semi-final and then to play Tuesday, the team were tired both physically and mentally.”
Chelsea are currently sixth in the table, three points behind Tottenham Hotspur and three above Newcastle United.
