Chelsea star Christopher Nkunku hopes to return for crunch Carabao Cup clash vs Middlesbrough
As per Evening Standard, Chelsea have been handed an injury boost after star forward Christopher Nkunku is aiming to return to training this week after a hip injury that saw him miss the Middlesbrough and Fulham games.
The 26-year-old missed two games due to an apparent light injury sustained during training, but the fact that Mauricio Pochettino expressed concern about Nkunku caused fans to get apprehensive.
A recent update on his injury should ease some fears, and hopefully, the forward will be fit to feature against Middlesbrough in the second leg of the Carabao Cup on January 23.
The Blues’ wastefulness in the first leg further highlighted the absence of Nkunku, who might have made a few chances count. The Frenchman has already missed the first four months of the season with a knee injury he picked up in pre-season and had to undergo surgery.
His unavailability has put a dent in Pochettino’s hopes of playing free-flowing football. His presence adds great experience and quality to the squad. His frequent injuries could compel the Blues to look for a new striker, Pochettino revealed before the 1-0 win over Fulham.
Considering Nicolas Jackson will be unavailable for the upcoming few weeks, we only have Armando Broja as a specialist striker. Nkunku’s return will be great news for us because we will need him more than ever. Otherwise, Pochettino might have to use Ben Chilwell on the left wing instead of Mykhaylo Mudryk and Levi Colwill as a left-back.
This has also frustrated the players, as Pochettino is playing the players out of their positions, but he also has no choice due to injuries to senior players.
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Although playing players out of position hasn’t been an effective decision for him, it makes sense because he wants to pick up more experience on the team. However, Nkunku is now hoping to play in the second leg of the Carabao Cup, but we should keep this in mind to not rush him if he isn’t fully fit.