ED SHEERAN may have had a hand in Mauricio Pochettino suffering a crippling blow ahead of Chelsea’s big kick-off.

The Blues faced Borussia Dortmund in their final USA pre-season friendly at Soldier Field in Chicago last night.

Christopher Nkunku suffered an injury on the poor Soldier Field pitch last nightCredit: Getty

Ed Sheeran performed in front of a record crowd at the Chicago stadium on SaturdayCredit: Splash

But despite a late equaliser from Mason Burstow to rescue a 1-1 draw, the game was overshadowed by new star signing Christopher Nkunku limping off.

The French attacker, who joined for £52million from RB Leipzig, had enjoyed a stunning pre-season with three goals in four games.

But with 20 minutes on the clock, he got his leg caught in the turf when battling Mats Hummels for possession and crumpled to the floor in pain clutching his knee.

A record-breaking 73,000 people had crammed into the stadium just three days earlier to watch British music sensation Sheeran, who sponsors Championship club Ipswich Town.

And with Beyonce and Taylor Swift also performing there over recent weeks, that had left the playing surface noticeably bobbly from the outset.

Now the dodgy looking pitch looks to have handed Poch and Nkunku a huge injury blow going into the Premier League season with the star a doubt for next week’s opener against Liverpool.

Nkunku was spotted walking on the pitch after full-time without a brace, giving Chelsea fans hope there is no long-term damage done.