Chelsea star Cole Palmer has been absent from the last two Premier League games due to injury, and now faces a race against time to make it for their next game.
A groin injury which was felt in the warm-up for the fixture against West Ham has seen Palmer sidelined ever since, including forcing him to pull out of international duty with England.
Palmer’s scan returned positive results for Chelsea, however with just days to go before their return to action against Brentford, the signs are not too good that he will be involved.
While Romeo Lavia and Benoit Badiashile have been spotted in training, the attacker does not seem to have featured up to now.
Cole Palmer during Chelsea against Crystal Palace in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge.
Photo by Chelsea Football Club/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Chelsea being careful with Cole Palmer after injury
Being Chelsea’s best player in the final third, there is obvious concern from supporters about him being absent for a prolonged period of time.
However, journalist Matt Law has been told fans should ‘not be too worried’ about Palmer’s injury, and the club are being very careful with him.
He said to the ‘London is Blue’ podcast: “I was told not too long ago not to be too worried about Cole. Cole is very much a management issue; being careful and sensible with him. I’d hope that he’s back after the international break & there’s nothing to worry about there.”
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A return to the pitch soon for Palmer would be a very welcome sight for Enzo Maresca, who is already dealing with an extraordinary amount of injury concerns at this stage of the season.
Chelsea striker Liam Delap receives medical attention on the pitch after picking up an injury against Fulham in the Premier League.
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Chelsea’s mounting injury concerns
Before a ball was kicked, Chelsea were aware they were going to be without their best centre-back for the majority of the campaign. Levi Colwill suffered an ACL injury in pre-season.
Now the season has begun, they have gone on to lose more players. Liam Delap is expected to miss at least two months of action, while Dario Essugo has also had to undergo surgery following his injury woes.
With fixtures coming thick and fast in both the Premier League and the Champions League, the deep squad which the club have added to over the summer is suddenly looking a little bare.
Maresca’s rotation will come into effect soon, which will hopefully bring an opportunity to give some of his key players a chance to rest and avoid this themselves.