‘We Are Not A Charity’, Chelsea Coach Mauricio Pochettino Warns Players

Chelsea’s Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino has warned his players that Premier League football is “not a charity” and they cannot expect to come straight back into the team after injury.

Pochettino in his pre-match press conference on Friday confirmed that Romeo Lavia could be included in the squad for the match against Wolves, but added the 26-year-old Christopher Nkunku, was still short of full fitness.

“All players after a big period out, they are desperate to be involved.

“They can be involved, but at which level? It’s easy to say ‘I want to play’ but we are competing, and it’s serious, the competition.

“After six months, like Nkunku and like Lavia, they need to understand that to be involved they need to train really, really hard every day. They need to make an impact every time they go on the pitch. It’s not like we are playing pre-season games.

“The player needs to understand that it’s not a charity thing, we’re not playing for a joke. We need to win. Sometimes it’s difficult for people to understand the environment of the players.”