Chelsea newcomer Christopher Nkunku is due to have surgery on his knee after sustaining meniscus damage in pre-season. Many fans expected the Frenchman to hit the ground running at Stamford Bridge after joining from RB Leipzig earlier this summer.
The news will come as a crushing blow to Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino. Nkunku was a livewire during the Blues’ warm-up matches for the upcoming campaign, netting against Fulham, Brighton and Wrexham in recent friendlies.
The French international went down in the early stages of Chelsea’s pre-season clash against Borussia Dortmund last week. And although there was initial hope that a knee issue would not keep him out of action for long, the landscape has now changed.
According to The Guardian, the situation is worse than Chelsea first feared as Nkunku will require surgery before working his way back to full fitness.
Although an exact timeline is currently unknown, it has been theorised that Nkunku will be out of action for ‘a number of months‘.
The development could hardly have come at a worse time for Pochettino, with his side’s Premier League opener less than a week away. And the Argentine will have wanted his squad at full strength for Liverpool’s visit to Stamford Bridge.
Raheem Sterling and Mykhaylo Mudryk will be expected to step up, while Noni Madueke put together a strong run at the end of last term.
Up top, Romelu Lukaku is almost certain to leave Stamford Bridge this summer. But Armando Broja will be keen to make a significant impact once he recovers from a knee injury of his own.