Pochettino explains why Christopher Nkunku was not in the Chelsea vs Preston team
Mauricio Pochettino has explained why Christopher Nkunku was not named in Chelsea's squad for Saturday's 4-0 FA Cup win over Preston.
Nkunku was a somewhat surprising omission, having played for the Blues in their last four games.
The west Londoners spent £52million to bring the 26-year-old to Stamford Bridge this summer, but fans had to wait until December for him to make his debut.
This is because the former RB Leipzig star had been suffering from injury problems and looks like he could already be set for another spell on the sidelines.
“Nkunku, we don't want to put pressure on him,” Pochettino said after the win against Preston.
'We know it is difficult after a long time injured. Six months out (and) now he was out because he suffered a hip problem during training.
“We need to see if he can be ready for the next games.”
Asked how difficult it is to get players like Nkunku back to full fitness after long periods of injury, Pochettino added: “The circumstances are really difficult.
“They need to play to be their best and we can't give this playing time to players who need to go and feel competition because we need to win.”
“Sometimes it is very difficult to explain it to players who feel the pressure to perform and play. Sometimes it is difficult to explain, but if you understand football you realize how hard it is.”
