Chelsea could be without striker Christopher Nkunku for up to another 15 days due to injury, manager Enzo Maresca has confirmed.
The French forward was absent from Sunday’s massive 3-1 win over Liverpool in the Premier League that delivered a huge boost to the resurgent Blues’ chances of securing a top-five finish this term and a place back in the Champions League elite next season.
Along with goalkeeper Robert Sanchez, Nkunku did not travel with his Chelsea team-mates to the Swedish capital of Stockholm for Thursday night’s 4-1 victory over Djurgarden in the first leg of their Conference League semi-final tie, having remained behind in west London for treatment on what his manager described as a “small problem”.
But while Sanchez returned against Liverpool, Nkunku remained sidelined along with the likes of Wesley Fofana and Marc Guiu plus youngsters Omari Kellyman and Aaron Anselmino, and the provisionally suspended Mykhailo Mudryk.
Maresca previously said in Sweden that Nkunku would be assessed before facing the Premier League champions, but has now confirmed that he could face another two weeks in the treatment room.
“Christo will be out for, I'm not sure, I think one week, two weeks,” the Italian told reporters after the win over Liverpool. “We are going to see. He will be out for the next 10 days, 15 days.”
The 27-year-old will miss Thursday night’s return fixture with Djurgarden at Stamford Bridge in addition to next weekend’s crucial visit to St James’ Park to face a fourth-place Newcastle side with whom they now share an identical points tally and goal difference with only three games left to play in the fierce fight for Champions League qualification. Newcastle remain above them on goals scored as things stand.
Chelsea also host likely Europa League finalists Manchester United in their final home fixture of the season on May 16, with a potentially pivotal trip to sixth-place Nottingham Forest coming on the last day of the campaign and a Conference League showpiece against either Real Betis or Fiorentina awaiting in Wroclaw on May 28, bar an unexpected disaster in the second leg against Djurgarden.
Chelsea then begin their summer Club World Cup campaign in the United States on June 18.
Though typically a regular in their Conference League team who started the competition in a rich vein of form, Nkunku’s future at Chelsea remains subject to much speculation during the course of a season where he has started just nine of the club’s 35 league games so far and scored only three times in the top-flight.
