Chelsea suffer injury 10 days before Liverpool as Pochettino comments on pitch
Christopher Nkunku could miss the start of Chelsea's Premier League season after suffering an injury against Borussia Dortmund.
The France international, 25, felt some discomfort in his knee during the 1-1 draw in Chicago in the early hours of Thursday. The injury will be a worry for Mauricio Pochettino, as Chelsea face Liverpool in their opening Premier League game in 10 days' time.
Nkunku limped out of the friendly in the 22nd minute following a tackle. The condition of Chicago's Soldier Field pitch was poor, with Pochettino describing the surface as a "risk" to his players. The Chelsea boss is hoping the injury is "not a big issue".
Nkunku is one of Chelsea's biggest signings of the summer following his £52million move from RB Leipzig. He's one of the most prolific strikers in Europe after scoring 58 club goals in the last two years, helping Leipzig win back-to-back German Cups.
"The doctors are checking him," Pochettino told reporters when asked for an update on Nkunku's condition. "He had the chance to score but he feels something in his knee. Hopefully it is not a big issue and that he can be quick with the team.
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"We need a few days to assess him and until we get back to London it is difficult to know. Always we take some risks because the pitch is not perfect as they are using it for different sports and that is sometimes the risk of the tour.
"I think it was a bit unlucky in the situation but we cannot complain about the pitch and to blame the pitch for why he suffered the injury. For me, it was bad luck."
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Soldier Field is used in the winter by National Football League (NFL) side Chicago Bears, while Major League Soccer (MLS) outfit Chicago Fire are the summer tenants. Areas of the pitch for Chelsea's friendly against Dortmund were patchy and worn after the stadium hosted an Ed Sheeran concert for 73,000 music lovers last weekend.
Pochettino will want Nkunku fit and available as soon as possible after he formed a good attacking partnership with fellow summer signing Nicolas Jackson in pre-season. Jackson, 22, has joined Chelsea from Villarreal in a £32m deal.
Scoring goals was Chelsea's biggest problem last season. They found the net just 38 times in the Premier League, with only Wolves (31), Bournemouth (37), Everton (34) and relegated Southampton (36) scoring fewer goals.
That caused Chelsea to finish 12th in the table, marking their lowest finish in 29 years. They also struggled to compete in the FA Cup, Carabao Cup and Champions League.
Apart from Nkunku's worrying injury, Chelsea have enjoyed a good pre-season tour of the United States. Their trip started with a 5-0 win against Wrexham before they defeated Brighton 4-3 and Fulham 2-0 in the Premier League's Summer Series. The Blues also drew 1-1 with Champions League side Newcastle to win that tournament.
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