Pochettino is now looking ahead to a crucial week in which his team will host Brighton before traveling to Manchester United without the imminent likelihood of many players returning. His problems have only gone worse, as Marc Cucurella and Reece James are both suspended and will miss the Seagulls’ visit next Sunday.

Moises Caicedo

Caicedo was left out of the starting lineup against Newcastle after arriving late from the international break. He did, however, come on as a second-half substitute.

Possible return date: Brighton (H) – Sunday, December 3

Christopher Nkunku

Christopher Nkunku, who joined Chelsea from RB Leipzig for about £52 million in the summer, has yet to make his competitive debut for the club after suffering an injury in the summer. The 26-year-old forward suffered a knee injury during a pre-season match against Borussia Dortmund in the United States and has been sidelined since.

Nkunku has returned to first-team training after months of recovery. He is likely to be out for a few more weeks.

Possible return date: Mid-December

Romeo Lavia

Lavia has been nursing an ankle injury since arriving at Stamford Bridge and has yet to make his Blues debut. The teenage midfielder suffered a big setback on his road to rehabilitation last month, pushing his return date back into December.

He has since rejoined the first-team training squad. The teenager is lagging behind Nkunku in his recuperation, but he is on his way back.

Possible return date: Mid-December

Wesley Fofana

Fofana will miss the majority of the season after rupturing his ACL during preseason training. Despite this, he has returned to training on the Cobham pitches.

Possible return date: April 2024

Malo Gusto

Malo Gusto was forced to withdraw from the France Under-21 team last week owing to a knee ailment. The 20-year-old defender had an MRI scan, which indicated a “small lesion in the internal lateral ligament.”

Although he did not make the squad for the game against Newcastle, he was seen back in first-team Chelsea training before the game, implying that he could be ready for selection next weekend.

Possible return date: Brighton (H) – Sunday, December 3

Trevoh Chalobah

Chalobah has been out with a thigh injury and has yet to play for Chelsea this season. During the international break, he was spotted training in the gym at Cobham.

Possible return date: Unknown

Carney Chukwuemeka

Chukwuemeka took a knock before the Arsenal game and then came off the bench against Burnley, but the midfielder has already suffered another setback. He has been hampered by a knee injury sustained against West Ham early in the season.

Possible return date: Unknown

Ben Chilwell

Chilwell was injured toward the end of Chelsea’s Carabao Cup match against Brighton in September. Unfortunately for the Blues defender, the club immediately realized that the muscle problem was worse than first anticipated, and he is still out of play more than a month later.

Possible return date: Late-December