Christopher Nkunku injury timeline 'revealed' as Mauricio Pochettino handed major Chelsea boost

Christopher Nkunku's sudden hip injury may not be as bad as first thought after he was left out of the matchday squad completely by Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino on Saturday night.

The Blues star was left out of the 4-0 win over Preston North End having scored on his debut against Wolves before making his first start for the club against Crystal Palace after Boxing Day. Nkunku also played the final 30 minutes in the 3-2 win against Luton Town before the new year but wasn't involved in Chelsea's first game of 2024 against the Lilywhites.

After the FA Cup third round tie, Pochettino was questioned about why the French international had been left out of his squad for the game, with the Argentine admitting that he'd suffered a problem in training. He said: «It's really tough [to get him fit], I think you empathise with us. The circumstances are really tough from the beginning of the season.

»It's true with [Armando] Broja, [Christopher] Nkunku, [Romeo] Lavia. Sometimes it is difficult to explain to you and you to translate to our fans. When we talk about the case of Nkunku, we don't want to put pressure on him. We know it is difficult after a long time injured.

«Six months away is always tough. Like now he wasn't involved because he suffered after training yesterday a problem in his hip and we need to see if he can be ready for the next few games. That is the problem. They need time but need to play also to get the best and we cannot provide this gametime to players who need to go and feel the competition because we need to win.

»We are in Chelsea and need to win. Sometimes it's really tough to explain to the players who feel the pressure to perform and to play. They want to help the team. Sometimes it is difficult to