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Christopher Nkunku Injury Updates
Chelsea have been given a big setback on the eve of the new season, with summer signing Christopher Nkunku going to require knee surgery after suffering a knee injury against Borussia Dortmund last week.
Nkunku, a French forward, tore the meniscus in his knee during Chelsea’s pre-season friendly match in Chicago, and it is expected that he would be unable to return to training for at least 16 weeks, and is unlikely to play again before December.
Nkunku, who arrived this window from RB Leipzig in a deal agreed last year, was a standout performer for Chelsea on their tour of America, scoring three times.
But he was hurt early in their final game against Borussia Dortmund on Thursday morning, forcing him to leave midway through the first half.
Nkunku was spotted with an ice pack on his left knee, and there were initial expectations that the damage was minor, but it has turned out to be more serious than anticipated.
The surface at Soldier Field was in poor shape after an Ed Sheeran concert the previous Saturday, which included a standing area for a segment of the audience on the pitch.
Christopher Nkunku need knee surgery to recover from an injury sustained during a match against Borussia Dortmund
Chelsea players were visibly concerned as they stepped out onto it, but head coach Mauricio Pochettino refused to blame the surface, insisting that the setback was caused by an early challenge on Nkunku.
‘The medics are inspecting him, hopefully it is not a big issue, but when he fell in the action, maybe it was a penalty,’ Pochettino remarked. I had an opportunity to score.
‘He feels something in his knee but hopefully it is not a significant issue and that he can be [back] fast with the club. We need a few days to assess him immediately, and we won’t know till we return to London.
‘I didn’t witness the action, but I’m not going to complain. We always take some risks because the pitch isn’t perfect since they’re using it for different sports, and that’s part of the tour’s risk, sure.
‘But I think it was a bit unlucky in the situation, but we can’t complain about the pitch and blame it for his injury. It was bad luck for me.’
Meanwhile, Chelsea target Tyler Adams is not anticipated to be ready until next month as he recovers from an injury.
Chelsea are preparing up a move for Adams to reinforce Pochettino’s weak midfield area following an exodus of central alternatives during the summer, while they continue to explore a deal for Brighton’s wantaway Moises Caicedo.
Adams has a £20 million release clause following Leeds’ relegation, making it a less complicated deal for Chelsea than Caicedo, and there is growing hope that the USA captain will join Chelsea.
However, he is still recovering from a hamstring injury that ended his 2022/23 season with two months remaining.
Adams has returned to training but is estimated to be six weeks away from full health.
