£52m Chelsea star ‘unlikely’ to feature against Newcastle United despite comeback vow

Christopher Nkunku is unlikely to make his Chelsea debut against Newcastle United at the weekend with the Blues keen to avoid rushing the Frenchman back into action too soon. Nkunku, who officially joined Chelsea for £52m from RB Leipzig in the summer, has yet to feature this season after sustaining an injury during pre-season. 

Nkunku did feature in the Premier League Summer Series against the Magpies, but a knee injury has kept him out of action since the summer. Mauricio Pochettino recently revealed that the Frenchman is closing in on a comeback however, stating after their draw with Man City that the Frenchman was targeting the clash on Tyneside as a potential return date.

Pochettino said: "We had some conversation and he [Nkunku] said to me, 'Coach, I want to be ready for after international break, Newcastle'. I asked him yesterday and he said 'hmmm', and I said 'you are liar'. 'No, no I am ready'.

"It is close and he is doing really well. We are so happy with him, the way he is recovering, he is very professional. Romeo Lavia is also close. They trained today on the pitch. Hope that next week will be involved with the team and see after. Day by day see when it is possible to play with the team."

However, despite Nkunku edging closer to a return, he isn’t expected to feature at St James’ Park. The Blues are keen to avoid overloading the 26-year-old and will likely drip feed him minutes during a busy festive period.