Chelsea boss, Mauricio Pochettino has called for patience with Christopher Nkunku after the summer signing finally made his debut for the Blues on Tuesday night in their Carabao Cup win over Newcastle United.
Nkunku, who joined Chelsea from RB Leipzig, has been sidelined with a serious knee injury since pre-season.
The 26-year-old finally featured in the Carabao Cup quarter-final win against Newcastle at Stamford Bridge as he came off the bench with 20 minutes to play.
He scored a penalty during the shoot-out after the match ended in a 1-1 draw.
When asked about the forward’s display, Pochettino said at his post-match press conference: “We are talking about players that are young. Who arrive and suffer an injury, like Christopher.
“Now they meet the team and in the middle of the competition they need time to start to perform and to get the best form and sometimes everyone can judge you have recovered the player, but most important is in which form?
“The expectation is to see the best Nkunku and we need time for him to perform in the way that we expect. One thing is to be available another is to perform in the way we we expect.
“We will not put too much pressure on him day by day, and push him to arrive as soon as possible at his best to try to help the team.”
Carabao Cup: Pochettino makes demand after Nkunku’s debut for Chelsea
