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Apr 20, 2024

Chelsea suffer worrying injury blow as Blues held to draw by Borussia Dortmund

Chelsea have already lost their marquee signing of the transfer window so far, Christopher Nkunku, to injury. Nkunku picked up a left knee injury during the 1-1 draw against Borussia Dortmund in a

Chelsea have already lost their marquee signing of the transfer window so far, Christopher Nkunku, to injury. Nkunku picked up a left knee injury during the 1-1 draw against Borussia Dortmund in a pre-season friendly on Thursday.

The Frenchman, who joined Chelsea this summer from RB Leipzig for £52million, initially went down in the ninth minute after he was clipped by Mats Hummels inside the opposition's penalty area. He was eventually replaced by Mykhailo Mudryk in the 22nd minute after going down again.

It appears the damage was done to his left knee as the attacker was seen watching on from the bench with an ice pack strapped to the area. Giving an update on Nkunku after the game, Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino admitted he didn't know the severity of the issue with club doctors still checking the player over.

"The doctors are checking him and I hope it is not a big issue," he said. "He fell in the action [against Hummels] which was maybe a penalty and he feels something in his knee, but we hope it is nothing big.

"We hope he can be back quickly with the team. We need a few days to assess him." Many fans blamed Nkunku's injury on the shocking conditions of the Soldiers Field in Chicago.

The grounds had been used for an Ed Sheeran concert five days prior and the playing surface was left worse for wear as a result. However, Pochettino refused to blame the condition of the pitch as a factor in his star signing's injury.

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"We took some risks because the pitch is not perfect because the facilities are used for a different sport," he added. "We won't blame the pitch for the injury though. For me, it was bad luck."

Chelsea remain undefeated in pre-season thanks to 19-year-old forward Mason Burstow, who equalised in the 89th minute after Marius Wolf broke the deadlock nine minutes earlier with a fortuitous goal. The youngster directed a well-placed header into the back post as he reeled off in celebration with his teammates.

The Blues' next fixture comes on August 13 in their Premier League opener at home against Liverpool. Pochettino will be hoping Nkunku can be cleared for the game.

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