Chelsea now have game in mind for Christopher Nkunku’s first start

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Chelsea fans may not have to wait too much longer to see Christopher Nkunku make his first start for the club.

Christopher Nkunku arrived at Chelsea in the summer but is yet to play a game this season because of injury.

But according to 90min journalist Graeme Bailey, speaking on Talking Transfers, the forward is set to make his first start for his new club next month as he closes in on a return to first-team action.

Chelsea signed Nkunku from RB Leipzig in a £52m deal, as reported by BBC Sport. While the Frenchman may not be named in the Blues’ first XI until December, he could get his first minutes of the season straight after the international break.

Christopher Nkunku could make his first start in the Carabao Cup

Chelsea have two games against Newcastle United coming up, one in the Premier League and the other in the Carabao Cup, and it is the second one Bailey expects Nkunku to start in.

Discussing the France international’s imminent return on Talking Transfers, he said: “We did reveal exclusively last week that he was aiming to start against Newcastle in the League Cup and Pochettino kindly confirmed the day after that he had that conversation.

“We think he’ll play Premier League games before that game, but that’s been penciled in for his first start, which is on December 19.”

Carabao Cup tie could be perfect for everyone

Nkunku making his first start for Chelsea in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup could work out well for all parties.

Mauricio Pochettino will obviously not want to rush the 26-year-old back too quickly or push him too hard, so waiting a bit makes sense.

It is a match Chelsea will also want to win with a place in the semi-finals at stake, so having a goalscorer like Nkunku in the side for that game will really boost their chances.

Nkunku scored 16 goals in 25 Bundesliga appearances for Leipzig last season. It is the kind of firepower Pochettino’s team could do with going into a game against an outfit who are hard to break down like Newcastle.