Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson made a shock return to Villarreal's dressing room less than 24 hours after the Blues' 4-1 defeat at Newcastle.
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Jackson poor in defeat at St James' ParkChelsea down in tenth in EPL tableStriker takes trip back to SpainWHAT HAPPENED?
Jackson was one of several Chelsea players who underperformed as they suffered a heavy defeat at St James' Park on Saturday, which left the west London team languishing down in 10th in the Premier League table. The 22-year-old didn't appear to dwell on the final result for long, though, as he was spotted back at El Madrigal for his former club Villarreal's La Liga clash with Osasuna the following day. The Yellow Submarine ran out 3-1 winners in front of a packed home crowd as Jose Luis Morales bagged all three goals, and Jackson was there to congratulate the hat-trick hero after the game.
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Jackson joined Chelsea from Villarreal in a £30 million ($38m) deal back in July, bringing to an end his two-season stay at El Madrigal. The Senegal international only scored 13 goals in 47 games for the Spanish club, and has also struggled for consistency in his first few months at Stamford Bridge. Jackson has already hit seven goals for the Blues this season, but three of those came in a crazy derby game against Tottenham, and he has been criticised for his erratic finishing.
GettyWHAT NEXT FOR JACKSON?
It remains to be seen whether Jackson was given permission to return to Villarreal by Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino, who pulled no punches when assessing his team's poor display at Newcastle. Jackson is likely to be back in contention for a place in the Argentine's starting XI when the Blues open their December schedule with a home fixture against Brighton.
