Following Christopher Nkunku’s debut for the Blues on Tuesday night, Mauricio Pochettino has pleaded for patience with the player. Nkunku joined the club in the summer from RB Leipzig.

The 26-year-old has spent the past four months getting back into shape after missing the entire preseason due to a severe knee ιnjury.

After waiting on the bench for the better part of two hours, the attacker finally received 20 minutes of action in Chelsea’s quarterfinal Carabao Cup match against Newcastle at Stamford Bridge.

The game ended 1-1 after a late Mykhailo Mudryk equalizer for the home team; Nkunku was among the Chelsea stars who assuredly converted their penalty in the shootout.

After Newcastle’s Kieran Trippier missed the target, Chelsea advanced 4-2 thanks to a penalty kιck save by Blues goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic.

When asked about Nkunku, Mudryk (who has had a rough go of it at the club), and Petrovic (who is trying to make a mark), Pochettino singled out the French attacker.

Assuming that. Here we are discussing young players. Chris, who shows up and gets hurt,’ Pochettino stated at the news conference after the game. It takes time for players to get back into their game and compete at their best once they’ve met the squad, but once they do, the question becomes, “In what form?”We want to see Nkunku at his best, and we’ll have to give him some time to deliver. Being accessible is one thing, but actually delivering the results we anticipate is another entirely.

While we won’t be micromanaging his every move, we will encourage him to get to the team as quickly as possible and give it his all.

Before the month comes to a close, Chelsea play three Premier League games: Christmas Eve away to Wolves, 27 December at home against Crystal Palace, and then three days later away to Luton.

Despite the hectic schedule, Nkunku will be hoping to get more playing time and win over the fans at Stamford Bridge.