'Not a big thing' - Chelsea coach Pochettino insists no major concern over Madueke

Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has revealed the reason behind the absence of Super Eagles-eligible winger Noni Madueke in his side's pre-season 1-1 draw with Newcastle.

Madueke did not feature once again for the Blues against the Magpies as they continue their pre-season activities having previously missed the first two preseason games against Wrexham and Brighton.

The 21-year-old finished last season on a high, starting 5 of the last six games in the Premier League and scoring one goal.
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The former PSV Eindhoven winger would have hoped to return to action for his club but has been hampered by injury as revealed by Pochettino in his post-match conference after the Newcastle encounter.

The Argentine tactician confirmed that he was suffering from a tight hamstring but insisted that there was no major concern regarding the injury.

"Noni is in Philadelphia; he has a little tightness in his hamstring. 'It's not a big thing," Pochettino told Chelsea's official website

'We also took precautions with Thiago Silva and Levi Colwill and then we don't have more possibilities to play with Angelo and Lewis Hall because we have three players in the same positions. We can't play all.

'It's only Noni that suffers with an injury but it is something that we think can be sorted in the next few days."

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​The Blues boss also stated that the England youth International will be joined by his teammates in Philadelphia on Thursday.

Madueke will have to return to fitness as soon as possible to make up for the lost time and impress his new manager before the start of the season.

Abdulkareem Abdulhamid

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