Christopher Nkunku's season at Chelsea could be OVER as Mauricio Pochettino gives worrying update on injury-ravaged forward's condition

The 26-year-old France international has endured a turbulent debut season at Chelsea marred by recurrent injuries following his €60 million (£52.7m, $58.8m) move from RB Leipzig in the summer. Pochettino revealed that despite initial expectations of a short absence with his latest issue, Nkunku's recovery has been protracted, casting doubt on his availability for the rest of the campaign.

Asked whether Nkunku will feature for Chelsea again this season, Pochettino said: "I don’t know. Still, we don’t know. At the moment we do not know when it is possible for him to start training with the team. At the moment he is not training with us. It did not happen (a setback). I have no information about that. His recovery is taking longer than we expected. That was after the final (League Cup final). He played in the final with a problem that we did not know about and found after the game.

“There are different circumstances that affect things. It is not only him. Too many players have suffered injuries this season. We hope that he can be involved again quickly. As soon as possible. It will be really good if he can join the team again before the end of the season. We hope that will happen.”

The forward's injury woes began with a knee injury sustained during a pre-season match last summer, which left him needing to undergo surgery and sidelined him for the first four months of the season. Although he did return to action for a brief spell, the striker soon picked up a hip injury that further disrupted his playing time - restricting him to just 10 appearances across competitions. His last appearance came in the Blues' Carabao Cup final defeat to Liverpool on February 25 and he has since remained out of action.

Pochettino's concerns extend beyond Nkunku, as Chelsea grapple with a spate of injuries affecting key players. Defenders Trevor Chalobah and Malo Gusto, absent from Chelsea's recent fixture against Burnley due to injuries, are poised to make a return to training, bolstering the squad ahead of their upcoming clash against Manchester United.

Pochettino said: “Trevor (Chalobah) and Malo (Gusto) will train with us. I think they will be ready to be in the squad (against Manchester United on Thursday)."

However, the fitness of Ben Chilwell remains uncertain due to illness, casting a shadow over his availability for the pivotal fixture.

“Chilly (Chilwell) no," Pochettino added. "We haven’t seen him since Friday. The doctor and medical staff removed a lot of fluid from his knee after he returned from the national team. Saturday he got ill and he has been at home since recovering. Rob Sanchez is training. We will see if he is in the squad.”

As Chelsea contend with mounting injury concerns amid a congested fixture schedule, Pochettino remains hopeful of a resurgence in form. However, Chelsea's resolve will be tested by Erik ten Hag's Manchester United when they visit Stamford Bridge on Thursday evening.