Mauricio Pochettino reveals Christopher Nkunku could be involved in FA Cup game vs Manchester City
Mauricio Pochettino has provided a positive injury boost on Christopher Nkunku’s return to training and revealed he could be involved in a pivotal FA Cup semi-final match against Manchester City in Wembley.
Nkunku, who has barely played this season, was sidelined with a fresh injury and has now returned to training. Now his minutes against City will be dependent on the level of fitness he has reached, as Pochettino will be taking precautions.
The former RB Leipzig forward suffered a knee injury during the pre-season game and returned to action last December; however, ever since, it hasn’t been all smooth for Nkunku, who has continued to pick up injury setbacks, and now Pochettino’s latest comments on the 25-year-old injury return could provide some hope ahead of the semi-final clash against City. Speaking to the media, he said via Football. London:
‘’They assess him day by day, and in the last few days, he has had the possibility of being involved in some parts of the training session. We now need to see the reaction of his body and how he evolves. We hope he can be involved soon.’’
Pochettino comments on Nkunku’s participation lay that he could be used as an impact substitute because it’s obvious he won’t be starting after recovering from a long-term injury. knowing City players won’t be at their full fitness after playing 130 minutes and on top of that penalties in their Champions League elimination match against Real Madrid, Nkunku’s addition as subs will add fresh legs to our attack.
Nkunku’s return will be a big boost for us, but we will be unsure if he will be fully fit to play the entire game or even participate in the match. Even if he is fit, it will be tough for him to make a difference because he is coming from a long-term injury and will take time to find a rhythm against a top-side team.
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Considering Raheem Sterling remains doubtful and Mykhaylo Mudryk hasn’t been in great form, Nkunku has returned at a very crucial time because Pochettino can use him as a substitute to make a late impact in the game. Let’s see how things turn out. As Pochettino said, they will first assess his fitness before making any calls on his participation in the game.
