Mauricio Pochettino says he hopes Christopher Nkunku will not be sidelined for a lengthy period of time with the hip injury he has suffered.
The forward only recently returned from a long spell on the sidelines with a knee injury but was absent from the squad for the 4-0 win over Preston in the FA Cup on Saturday.
The Chelsea boss says Nkunku will not be involved for Chelsea’s Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Middlesbrough on Tuesday but hopes Saturday’s game against Fulham could be a possibility for the Frenchman.
“It’s not related to his old injury, it’s a different problem,” he said.
“An issue in his hip, we are cautious with him because it is six months from his injury, and few games. He won’t be involved tomorrow, we will see for Saturday.
“Hope it is not a long period. At the moment he is not training, he is doing recovery. Not a big issue.”
With Nkunku sidelined and Nicolas Jackson currently away at AFCON, Chelsea’s options are limited up top but Pochettino insists adding another striker is not a necessity.
“No. We are assessing the squad like always. We had a conversation with the owners and sporting directors today and yesterday,” he explained.
“I am so happy because we have Broja, we have different players that can play in the striker position and we need our second line players to help the team score goals and win games.
“I am very positive and happy with the squad. If something appears, we will announce.”
