Chelsea star could be named in the squad to face Newcastle after recovering from long-term injury

Chelsea star could be named in the squad to face Newcastle after recovering from long-term injury - Reports

Christopher Nkunku could reportedly make his Chelsea debut this weekend after a lengthy injury layoff.

According to The Standard's football correspondent Nizaar Kinsella, there is optimism that Nkunku will make the Blues' squad for their match against Newcastle United. Mauricio Pochettino's side will visit St. James' Park for a Premier League encounter on Saturday, November 25.

Kinsella wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday, Nov. 23:

"Christopher Nkunku teased his return on social media last night. He was pictured in the team session, but only did parts of it. Hopes for further progress in the next two sessions to make the bench vs Newcastle."

Earlier in the day, Chelsea had posted images of the Frenchman in training. He had also posted a couple of images on his Instagram Story a day prior, seemingly taken ahead of a training session. You can view the Stories below:

Christopher Nkunku's Instagram Story from November 22.

Nkunku joined the Blues for a transfer fee of around £52 million from RB Leipzig in the summer. He began well in pre-season, scoring thrice in four friendlies, including goals against Brighton & Hove Albion and Newcastle.

The 26-year-old then started their final pre-season contest against Borussia Dortmund, but was substituted with an injury after just 22 minutes. Tests later revealed that he had suffered damage to the meniscus in his knee, and he even underwent surgery, putting him out of action for nearly four months.

Chelsea struggled to find an attacking spark in the initial weeks of the season in Nkunku's absence. However, Cole Palmer's arrival has helped ease some of those pains. Palmer has recorded four goals and two assists in 10 Premier League matches for Pochettino's side.

The team, which is 10th in the league, scored four goals each in games against Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City before the international break.

Looking at Chelsea star Christopher Nkunku's career so far

Christopher Nkunku is a product of Paris Saint-Germain's (PSG) youth setup and rose through the ranks to join their first team in 2015. He went onto play 78 times for the Ligue 1 giants over the next four years, scoring 11 times and laying out four assists in 44.38 minutes per game.

Nkunku joined Leipzig in the summer of 2019 and instantly received more time on the pitch than he did at PSG. In four years with the Bundesliga side, he featured 172 times, recording 70 goals and 56 assists. This included scoring 23 times and laying out nine assists in 36 matches in all competitions last season.

The Frenchman also helped them win two DFB-Pokals before moving to Chelsea this summer.

Nkunku has also won 10 caps for France, in which he has recorded two assists. He is, however, yet to feature in a major tournament for Les Bleus.