There was a lot of noise and expectations on Christopher Nkunku’s shoulders when he signed for Chelsea in the summer.
But before the 26-year-old could get comfortable and start the new Premier League season, he suffered a knee injury and proceeded to miss a number of months.
Chelsea were provided with a glimpse of what he was about when he came off the bench for his league debut and scored during his side’s defeat to Wolves in December.
But since then, it has still been stop-start for the versatile forward and now Mauricio Pochettino has shared that he is injured once again.
Darren Bent thinks the Chelsea boss is now going to be ‘frustrated’ with Christopher Nkunku and how he thought he was ‘going to be the guy’ to score the goals for the team, as he told talkSPORT (27/02/24 at 4:50 pm).
After losing the League Cup final to Liverpool, the under-fire Blues will welcome in-form Leeds United to Stamford Bridge for an FA Cup showdown on Wednesday night.
There is already huge pressure on everyone at the London club and it’s not aided by there being no luck in the injury department.
Christopher Nkunku’s injury
“I remember watching a lot of Chelsea in pre-season and he looked sharp as they come,” said Bent. “Mudryk looked sharp. Jackson. They were all combining really, really well.
“He has shown flashes since he has been at Chelsea. He scored a lovely goal against Liverpool. Choped a couple of people and smashed it in.
“But he just can’t stay fit. He has got to Chelsea, he is 26 now, so he is getting to the point where you are saying ‘come on now, you have to start delivering and you aren’t young anymore’.
“For Pochettino, it must be frustrating because clearly there have been times when he has been on the bench and he hasn’t started. People have been probably wondering. Why isn’t he starting? Clearly, he isn’t fit enough. Even when he came on in the final, nothing! I thought Nkunku was going to be that guy.”
Christopher Nkunku will come good for Chelsea
This isn’t a question of quality, but the player has just been hit with a bad injury as soon as he arrived and since then he hasn’t had any luck.
The rhythm and speed of his game is out of the window and it’s hard to get back, especially when you are playing sporadically and for a team that just isn’t performing or getting the results.
As hard as it may sound for Chelsea fans, they might not see the best from their £52 million signing until next season now.
Patience is needed with Nkunku. He has the qualities to score and assist in high numbers for the team, lead the line and play across the front three.
If he stays away from the treatment room, then he will come good, no doubt!
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