Pochettino issues fresh Christopher Nkunku and Mykhailo Mudryk injury update ahead of Tottenham clash

Pochettino issues fresh Christopher Nkunku and Mykhailo Mudryk injury update ahead of Tottenham clash

Mauricio Pochettino has issued a fresh injury update on Christopher Nkunku and Mykhailo Mudryk. It remains to be seen exactly who will be available when Chelsea face Blackburn Rovers on Wednesday night, but some big names are expected to return from the treatment room when Tottenham welcome the Blues to north London next week.

Ahead of Chelsea’s round of 16 Carabao Cup clash against the Championship outfit, the 51-year-old was asked if either Nkunku or Mudryk will be back for the tie. Pochettino simply replied: “Mudryk, maybe. Nkunku no.”

Mudryk was omitted from the matchday squad to face Brentford at the weekend, meanwhile, Nkunku was dealt a hefty blow to his knee during a pre-season clash against Borussia Dortmund in the United States. The France international has recently stepped up his rehabilitation, but it’s believed that he’s still some way off from making his competitive debut for the club.

Throughout October, Nkunku has posted pictures of himself in the gym, in the swimming pool and undergoing various medical tests. The former RB Leipzig star even showed off some light ball work in between resistance training exercises.

While Nkunku has even been spotted outside on the training pitches at Cobham in his Chelsea gear, a return against either Blackburn or Spurs seems to be off the cards. However, Pochettino remains determined to win the competition.

When asked how important the Carabao Cup is, the Argentine replied: “Really important. I told you before we started the season, I think a competition like the Carabao Cup or FA Cup is really important for us.

“Tomorrow we are going to try and play with our best team. Some players that maybe we need to rest because we need to do some rest because after Saturday’s game, we cannot take some risk. In general, we are going to try to put our our best team.”

Then, when asked if the Tottenham clash on Monday is a distraction, Pochettino added: “No, we are not going to take a decision tomorrow thinking of Monday because I think we have time to recover the players. I think the most important, like I said before, all of the players need to be ready for tomorrow to try to play and we will decide.

“Always taking the best decision if some players need to rest because there is a risk something happens but we are going to try to take it very seriously, like always because I think it is a competition we can go through.”