Christopher Nkunku will not make his Chelsea debut during the club’s clash with Manchester United in the Premier League this week.
Nkunku is nearing a return to fitness after missing the entire Premier League campaign to date, having suffered a knee injury during Chelsea’s pre-season tour of the United States.
[dugoutvideo id=”eyJrZXkiOiJERlJVTnk3byIsInAiOiJ0aGUtZm9vdGJhbGwtZmFpdGhmdWwiLCJwbCI6IiJ9″ partner=”the-football-faithful”]
The Frenchman signed for Chelsea in a £52m deal from RB Leipzig last summer, having ended last season as the joint-leading scorer in the Bundesliga.
His eagerly anticipated debut will not come against Manchester United on Wednesday evening, however, with Mauricio Pochettino having ruled the forward out of the clash at Old Trafford.
“He is not involved tomorrow,” Pochettino said at his pre-match press conference.
“I think it is like we always tell you, it’s about assessing day by day. Sometimes we get excited and we want to have the player as soon as possible but I think we need to be careful.”
Pochettino also confirmed that Romeo Lavia, Lesley Ugochukwu and Noni Madueke will miss the game.
“Romeo is doing well also but is not going to be involved. Lesley feels something this week, Noni after Brighton also, minor problems hope that soon they will be available for the team.”
Read – Eight talking points ahead of the midweek action
Read more – Five of the best Manchester United vs Chelsea goals