Chelsea have been dealt a massive injury blow ahead of their opening match of the 23/24 Premier League season.
New signing Christopher Nkunku suffered a suspected knee injury during Chelsea’s pre-season friendly against Borussia Dortmund in Chicago.
The Frenchman was forced off after just 22 minutes as Chelsea went on to draw the match 1-1.
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With a huge clash against Liverpool on the horizon, it has been reported that Nkunku is set to miss the start of the Premier League season.
According to The Guardian journalist Jacob Steinberg, Nkunku is set to undergo knee surgery after suffering meniscus damage.
He tweeted: “Initial hope was that Christopher Nkunku would not be out for long but unfortunately he is set to have surgery on his knee injury after suffering meniscus damage.
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“Chelsea forward picked up the injury on that awful injury in Chicago last week.”
This latest development could force Chelsea to further invest in the transfer window.
Apart from Nkunku, the Stamford Bridge club have so far brought in Nicolas Jackson, Angelo, Lesley Ugochukwu, Robert Sanchez and Axel Disasi.
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Ahead of this weekend, new Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino said: “We are in a good way; we are building something special I think.
“It’s a process and we need time, but in football you cannot ask for time. You need to deliver from now. We know we are Chelsea and even if young players are involved against Liverpool, the mentality is to win.”
He continued: “We are preparing ourselves and we know it will be tough the first game, and then the next game and the next game. But we need to arrive with a good mentality.”
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Chelsea fans will be expecting much better results in the new season after their dismal 22/23 campaign.
The Blues had three managers in charge in the shapes of Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter and Frank Lampard as they finished in 12th place.
Featured Image Credit: GettyTopics: Chelsea, Football, Christopher Nkunku, Premier League
