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Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca lavished praise on attacker Christopher Nkunku following the Blues' pre-season friendly win against Club America on Wednesday, July 31. The France international opened the scoring for the English club from the spot (3'), after which new signing Marc Guiu doubled their lead before the break (21'). Noni Madueke bagged the final goal of the match via a penalty to earn his team a 3-0 win.
After the match, Maresca addressed Nkunku's versatility after the player started as a second striker behind Guiu in this match. He said about the 26-year-old (via Fabrizio Romano):
"I knew Nkunku before I joined.... I love him."
"He can play in the pocket, as a nine and a winger. He's a very good fit for the system," he added.
Unfortunately, Chelsea fans haven't seen much of the French forward, who spent most of last season on the sidelines injured. He missed 39 matches across competitions for the Blues during the 2023-24 campaign due to fitness-related problems.
Chelsea signed from RB Leipzig on a reported £63 million deal in the summer of 2023. Since then, he's managed just 11 appearances in the Premier League, bagging three goals.
Nkunku will be looking forward to a much better season this time around. Chelsea will get their league campaign underway by hosting champions Manchester City at Stamford Bridge on August 18. Incidentally, their next friendly is also against the Cityzens on Saturday, August 3.
Enzo Maresca sends a message to penalty-takers at Chelsea
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has stated that he will decide who takes penalties at the club. He clarified that he wanted Christopher Nkunku to strike the deal ball from the spot in his club's latest friendly.
However, in the previous campaign, it seemed like Cole Palmer was the overwhelming favorite, a player who did not feature in this match. Speaking about this post-match, Maresca said (via Football London):
"I have decided and this is the reason for the first one Christoph took the penalty and Noni was close to taking it, but I told Tosin to tell Noni that Christo has to take the penalty. I am the guy who decides who shoots the penalty and not the players."
It will be interesting to see who is entrusted with penalty duties after Palmer returns. Currently, he's enjoying a break after forming a part of England's Euro 2024 squad.
