Mauricio Pochettino was caught by surprise in his post-match press conference after being asked about the whereabouts of two Chelsea players.

Speaking after his side’s 3-0 victory over Luton Town on Friday night, the Argentine coach was unable to answer a reporter’s question concerning Malang Sarr and Jamie Cumming.

“I’m not going to ask about [Romelu] Lukaku,” the journalist said during the post-match press conference at Stamford Bridge. "I just want to ask about two players who have disappeared. Malang Sarr, who was on loan last season..."

The reporter then had to repeat Sarr’s name after Pochettino interrupted the question and said: “Who?”. The Chelsea manager, looking puzzled, turned to the club’s press officer for confirmation.

After the press officer repeated the former France Under-21 international’s name, the reporter continued: “Malang Sarr, and what has happened to Jamie Cumming, who played the first game against Wrexham?"

Pochettino replied: "I don't know what I can tell you. I don't know because you surprised me, it's like you punch and I am like this [pretends to be groggy] because we were talking about Luton."

Needless to say, the clip is being shared across social media, with many people under the impression that Pochettino genuinely wasn’t aware who Sarr and Cumming were. You can watch it below:

Where is Malang Sarr?

Sarr, 24, joined Chelsea from Nice in August 2020, signing a five-year contract with the west London outfit. Immediately loaned to FC Porto for the 2020-21 campaign, Sarr came back to Chelsea for a year but then spent the 2022-2023 season with AS Monaco, who had the option to buy the defender. However, the Frenchman failed to convince at Stade Louis-II and subsequently returned to Stamford Bridge this summer.

Sarr, who made a total of 21 appearances for the Blues during the 2021-22 season, hasn’t been used by Pochettino either in pre-season or during the opening weeks of the current campaign. Judging by the manager’s response to Friday night’s question, it’s probably safe to assume the centre-back is now surplus to requirements.

Where is Jamie Cumming?

Cumming, a 23-year-old goalkeeper, was indeed used by Pochettino by during last month’s 5-0 win over Wrexham in North Carolina. The former England Under-19 international kept Chelsea’s clean sheet intact during his 76 minutes on the pitch, before being replaced by Lucas Bergstrom.

The Winchester-born ‘keeper has already had loan spells at Stevenage, Gillingham, and Milton Keynes in recent years. Another move - either temporary or permanent - seems likely for Cumming, who has been at Chelsea since the age of eight.

How well did Chelsea play against Luton?

Chelsea needed to produce a convincing performance against newly-promoted Luton following last week’s 3-1 defeat away at West Ham - and they did just that. Pochettino’s side dominated the vast majority of the match and sealed a deserved 3-0 win thanks to a brace from Raheem Sterling, who also provided the assist for Nicolas Jackson’s first Premier League goal.

Sterling has looked back to his best under Pochettino, who told reporters after the match, per the Daily Mail: “He deserves the full credit for his performance. I’m so pleased for him because he told me that it was a difficult season for him last season and I’m very pleased when the player is happy and when an offensive player can score and assists, for us it’s the best feeling.”