Christopher Nkunku, Romeo Lavia - Chelsea injury news and return dates ahead of Man United clash

Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino will be hoping to recall some of his injured stars ahead of tomorrow evening's Premier League clash against Manchester United. The Blues head coach will be without central midfielder Conor Gallagher after the England international received a red card following two bookings during Sunday's 3-2 win over Brighton & Hove Albion.

On Wednesday night, the west Londoners travel to Old Trafford, looking to close the gap on United, who currently sit five points above them in the standings. Pochettino has plenty of selection headaches ahead of the highly-anticipated clash, with Romeo Lavia, Malo Gusto and Christopher Nkunku all nearing their respective returns from injury.

With that in mind, football.london takes a look at the latest injury news for Chelsea.

Lavia has been nursing an ankle issue since he arrived at Stamford Bridge and he is still yet to make his debut for the Blues. Last month, the teenage midfielder was dealt a major setback on his road to recovery, pushing his return date back into December.

Lavia is back in contention and Pochettino was assessing his availability for the Brighton game. He failed to make the squad in the end but it was a good indicator of the progress on his fitness.

Possible return date: Manchester United (A) – Wednesday, December 6

After months of rehabilitation, Nkunku has finally returned to first-team training. He was in contention to feature against Brighton but ended up missing out on the squad in the end.

Pochettino said Nkunku and Lavia «are close» and look set to be involved in the near future. It may be a little soon for Manchester United with the quick turnaround in midweek.

Possible return date: Everton (A) – Sunday, December 10

Malo Gusto withdrew from