Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino provides injury update on Christopher Nkunku
Aug 03, 2023
Chicago [US], August 3 : Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino provided an injury update on their latest recruit Christopher Nkunku after he was subbed off in the 1-1 draw with Borussia Dortmund on Thursday.
The French forward featured for over 20 minutes before beign subbed off from the field and beign replaced by Mykhailo Mudryk.
After the 1-1 draw, Pochettino confirmed the issue and the extent of the problem when he spoke in the post-match.
"The doctors are checking him and I hope it is not a big issue. He fell in the action which was maybe a penalty and he feels something in his knee but we hope it is nothing big. We hope he can be back quickly with the team. We need a few days to assess him," Pochettino said as quoted by the club's official website.
Mauricio further went on to not blame the conditions, and said that he will take the responsibility for any risk involved.
"We took some risks because the pitch is not perfect because the facilities are used for a different sport. We won't blame the pitch for the injury though. For me, it was bad luck."
Coming to the match, the first opportunity fell to Chelsea forward Jackson. He exchanged passes with Nkunku to advance the play into the Dortmund penalty area. He fired a shot powerfully towards the goal, only to be denied by goalkeeper Alexander Meyer.
Colwill who recently signed a six-year contract with Chelsea had the opportunity to fire Chelsea ahead from a close range but Meyer once again stood strong to deny Chelsea the lead.
Chelsea dominated majority of the game but Dortmund went against the run of play, as Marius Wolf found the back of the net from a closer range. Chelsea were on the verge of conceding their first defeat, but Burstow ensured that his team remained unbeaten for the entire tour.
Following a free kick, Fernandez headed the ball towards the young striker, who guided the ball into the corner to earn the Blues a draw.