Chelsea are not a charity – players must earn selection - Pochettino

LONDON Manager says Nkunku and Lavia have to be patient now they are t and should stop harping on about being disappointed if they do not start

Mauricio Pochettino says Chelsea is not a “charity” and players must be patient while waiting for a place in his starting line-up.

Pochettino has been forced to negotiate the opening months of his rst season in charge at Stamford Bridge without a number of key players who have been sidelined by long-term injury. Christopher Nkunku, the forward signed for £51 million from RB Leipzig, nally made his debut as a substitute in the midweek Carabao Cup victory over Newcastle United while Roméo Lavia is waiting to make his rst appearance for the club.

Asked whether Lavia, who su ered an ankle injury after he signed from Southampton in the summer, could feature against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Christmas Eve, Pochettino said: “Lavia is in a similar position to Nkunku. He arrived and never can make his debut. After nearly six months, maybe he will be involved with the team. He is doing well but he still needs time to get his best form. He’s desperate to make his debut and he’s pushing. But I want to make clear, with the players with a big period o , you know, out of the competition, they are desperate to be involved. But they cannot make the mistake.

“They can be involved – but in which way? In which form? At what level? It’s easy to say, ‘I want to play’, but we are competing. This is a serious competition. After six months, like Nkunku, like him [Lavia], they need to understand they need to be involved, to train really, really hard every day. They need to be an impact every time they go to the pitch.

“We are not in a pre-season game and they go to the pitch and we say: ‘If they perform well, if they don’t perform well, then no problem.’

You need to understand, the players need to understand that that is not a charity thing; that we are going to play football, we need to win.”

Pochettino is clear he shares the frustrations of players who have spent time on the club’s lengthy injury list this season.

“Sometimes the professionals feel so disappointed because they want to play,” he added. “It’s di cult to understand. The environment of the player, also, they say they are disappointed because Nkunku didn’t play against She eld United.

“I am disappointed to have a player that should be an important player for us is not helping the team. If he didn’t play, it is not because we don’t believe in him, or in this case Lavia. It is because there are many other players t and training in six months and in that moment maybe we need to decide, to make an impact with players that are more ready than these guys.

“Maybe I am talking too much. But it’s true. But come on, it’s annoying me. The people around the player: ‘Oh I wanted to play. I am disappointed.’ Oh, come on. I am disappointed.” The Telegraph

PERTH Pakistan spinner Noman Ali was recovering yesterday after being rushed to hospital with acute appendicitis, with the veteran ruled out of the rest of their series against Australia.

The 37-year-old, who did not feature during a heavy defeat in the opening test in Perth, su ered severe abdominal pain on Friday.

"Noman Ali complained of sudden and severe abdominal pain yesterday, leading to examinations and scans in emergency that con rmed a diagnosis of acute appendicitis," the Pakistan Cricket Board said.

"On surgeon's advice, he underwent Laparoscopic Appendectomy today."

Ali, who has played 15 tests, the last of which was against Sri Lanka in July, was "stable and doing ne", but will take no further part in the three-test series which resumes in Melbourne next week.

It is another blow for the visitors after pace bowler Khurram Shahzad was ruled out of the series on Thursday.

The 24-year-old impressed on his debut in Perth, nishing with match gures of 5-128 in the 360run loss. But he complained of discomfort and scans showed a stress fracture in the ribs along with an abdominal muscle tear.

Pakistan already had a weakened bowling attack after speedster Naseem Shah was omitted from the tour due to a long-term injury. Spinner Abrar Ahmed missed the Perth test with leg discomfort, but could return for the second match in Melbourne that begins on 26 December. Supersport