Mauricio Pochettino has praised Christopher Nkunku for his involvement during Chelsea’s 2-1 win against Crystal Palace on Wednesday night.

Nkunku finally got his first Chelsea start after coming on from the bench in games against Newcastle United and Wolves.

Nkunku didn’t get a goal against Palace, but he was very impressive during his 70-minute appearance for Chelsea, linking up play, and connecting well with other forward players like Mykhailo Mudryk and Nicolas Jackson.

For a player that just returned from a long-term injury, the Frenchman certainly did enough for Chelsea on the night, although Pochettino thinks he’s capable of producing even more.

“The problem is that Christopher Nkunku is still far away from his best,” Pochettino told Amazon Prime.

“He is a very intelligent player. He can connect [us]. We missed this kind of playmaker.

“Nkunku can do this, but he is more of an offensive player, who is going to go forward and have space in-between the lines.

“Sometimes we missed [this]. But the combinations with Mykhailo Mudryk and Nicolas Jackson, they were good.”