Cole Palmer will not be available for Chelsea FC in the coming weeks, meaning he will miss top matches in two different competitions.
Chelsea FC will have to do without their key player until at least the next international break. Cole Palmer will not be available for selection in the coming weeks due to a groin injury, as Blues coach Enzo Maresca announced on Friday at the press conference ahead of the home game against Brighton & Hove Albion.
“We’ve decided to protect him a little bit,” said the Italian, “so that it doesn’t get worse.” Palmer has been struggling with groin problems since preseason and already missed the two league games at West Ham United and against Fulham FC at the end of August. Last week, he was back in the starting lineup for the first time in a month in the Champions League against FC Bayern, but he had to leave the field early again in the 2-1 defeat in Manchester last weekend. Maresca added that Palmer will now be rested for the next two to three weeks until the international break. This means that after the Brighton game, he will also miss the Champions League clash with Benfica Lisbon next Tuesday and, more importantly, the Premier League top match against Liverpool FC on October 4. Then they will “see if he can get back to 100 percent with this break” – so it is possible that Palmer’s absence will be even longer. At least Maresca added: “I don’t think he needs surgery.”
The 23-year-old, who finished eighth in this week’s Ballon d’Or voting, is also likely to miss out on the English national team. Thomas Tuchel’s side will first face Wales in a friendly in October, then travel to Latvia for World Cup qualifying.
The Three Lions already had to play the two qualifying matches in September without the striker due to Palmer’s groin injury.
The English national team will also likely be without the 23-year-old, who finished eighth in the Ballon d’Or voting this week. Tuchel’s team will first face Wales in a friendly in October, then travel to Latvia for World Cup qualifying.
The Three Lions already had to play the two qualifying matches in September without the striker due to Palmer’s groin injury.