Nkunku was introduced in the 67th minute of Sunday's Carabao Cup final against Liverpool and completed almost an hour as the game went to extra time – and ultimately ended in defeat for the Blues – at Wembley.

That appearance was only Nkunku's tenth for Chelsea following a summer switch from Bundesliga side RB Leipzig, and the France international is now set for another spell on the sidelines.

'We need to evaluate him (Nkunku) every day,' Pochettino said during his pre-match press conference ahead of tomorrow's game with Leeds. 'At the moment, he could be maybe three or four weeks out. We hope no more.

'We found out after [the final that he had suffered an injury]. It’s difficult for him. When he arrived in pre-season, he was flying on the pitch and in training in America.

'Then he got the knee injury and now it’s nearly eight months later. Even when he was ready to be involved again, he couldn’t be the same as before. That is the risk.

'We have in our head the potential best Nkunku that everyone knows from the Bundesliga, but he can’t be that player. That is why it is unfair to judge because the situations are completely different.'

Renewing our longstanding rivalry with Leeds in the FA Cup offers the perfect opportunity for the Chelsea players to respond to the heartache of defeat at Wembley.

And despite a tight turnaround and very little time to recover and prepare for the fixture, Pochettino says his players have shown a desire to react strongly at Stamford Bridge tomorrow evening.

'When you lose a final it’s not easy to recover but I am happy because I think the players are really focused and are moving forward. If you ask the players today, they all want to be involved in the game.

'They are, of course, disappointed because we did not win the Carabao Cup but we need to move on to tomorrow. I am happy because I think they have reacted well and they are ok.’

‘We need to keep the spirit up, move on, and be ready for tomorrow. It’s another competition, the FA Cup, and we want to go to the end.

'So, we need to be ready because we have in front of us a very good opponent in Leeds who have won in their last nine [Championship] games. They are in a good moment and it will be tough. That is why we need to have confidence and energy.’