Mauricio Pochettino has confirmed that Christopher Nkunku will be unavailable for Chelsea’s Premier League game with Fulham this weekend.

The Frenchman returned in December after missing the opening months of the campaign with a knee injury. He also scored in the 2-1 defeat to Wolves, only to pick up a hip injury less than a month later.

Nkunku missed Chelsea’s 4-0 win against Preston last weekend, and the 1-0 Carabao Cup loss to Middlesbrough on Tuesday as a result of the issue, but it was initially believed he would return just in time to face Fulham.

Pochettino has however stated that the 26-year-old is still not ready to play after missing training for the last 10 days, and that he fears the injury might actually be worse than initially suspected.

“I remember my first press conference after he suffered a small issue and then all was complicated,” Poch said at a press conference on Friday.

“And now I think it’s nearly 10 days that he is not training, eight or 10, and of course after six months that we were waiting for him and now when he was so close again to feeling comfortable, he started against Palace.

“And of course disappointed with that and a little bit worried because I think we want him as soon as possible to be involved again.”