307 days out of action
©IMAGO
“Three or four weeks.” That was the latest prognosis from Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino on Tuesday, when asked about the latest injury to forward Christopher Nkunku. Less than one month after returning from his previous injury, the France international had somehow managed to pick up another one during his side’s defeat to Liverpool in the English League Cup final. And, to the growing concerns of Chelsea fans, this wasn’t the first time the forward has found himself back out of action.
“It’s difficult for him,” noted the Chelsea boss ahead of Wednesday night’s FA Cup clash with Leeds United. “We watched him when he arrived in pre-season. He was flying around the training ground until he got injured. It’s been almost eight months now and he’s back again. Involved, but he’s not the same player as before.” A worrying remark from Pochettino, but not an unjustified one when we consider Nkunku’s injury record since making the move to England.
The forward’s injury concerns perhaps date back to November 2022, when the former Paris Saint-Germain and RB Leipzig star picked up a nasty torn knee ligament injury in the build-up to the 2022 World Cup. Not only did this injury rule the player out of the competition but it has seemingly caused recurring issues for Nkunku to the present day. Since that injury, Nkunku has missed 48 matches for club or country through injury and sat out a total of 307 days. In stark contrast, Nkunku had only been injured four times in the previous two years, missing a grand total of eight games for Leipzig.
Homepage