Cole Palmer has been sidelined with a groin injury since the end of September and is not expected to return to action until after the upcoming international break
Cole Palmer
Chelsea forward Cole Palmer is continuing his recovery from his groin injury
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Chelsea forward Cole Palmer says he is working hard as he continues his recovery from a groin injury which has disrupted his 2025/26 campaign. The forward has featured in just four matches for Enzo Maresca's side, with the problem flaring up twice during this season.
Palmer initially sustained the injury prior to the 5-1 triumph over West Ham United in August, forcing his withdrawal from the starting lineup for the London Stadium encounter. He sat out the victory against Fulham before making his comeback following the September international break.
Following goals in the stalemate with Brentford and the loss to Bayern Munich, Palmer managed only 21 minutes during the 2-1 defeat at Manchester United. The 23-year-old hasn't featured since his brief comeback worsened the same problem.
Palmer has been absent for nine fixtures across all competitions, with Maresca confirming last month that the England international would be sidelined for an additional six weeks. "Unfortunately, he needs to be out for probably six more weeks," he stated on October 17.
"We try to protect Cole as much as we can, and the most important thing is that when he comes back, he is fully fit. We hope the six weeks will be enough, but it's a problem that we need to look at step by step, week by week, but for sure he is going to be okay."
Following Chelsea's victory over Tottenham at the weekend, which Palmer celebrated on social media, the midfielder provided a brief update on his rehabilitation via Instagram on Monday. Sharing eight photographs, including one from inside the gymnasium, he captioned: "whatever the 5th pic says".
The fifth image of the post features a whiteboard message that reads: "No one gives a toss. Work harder." It follows an update from injury expert Ben Dinnery on Palmer's recovery.
Speaking to out sister title football.london, via Escapist Magazine, Dinnery provided insight into Palmer's recovery ahead of the winter schedule. He said: "It's sometimes not until the last stage, particularly if you're talking around a loading issue, where you could be fine for three, four or five days, and then all of a sudden, you just feel a little bit of intensity as you increase that intensity and increase that load.
"Ultimately, there's nothing fixed in terms of timeframe. I think we're looking at post-international break. We're coming up to a busy period in and around Christmas, and it's one of those ones where you could see Cole Palmer managed in terms of his minutes.
Estevao and Cole Palmer
Cole Palmer has been forced to watch Chelsea games from the sidelines in recent weeks
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"Again, the factors around that could be how Chelsea are performing, and probably until last weekend, you would have said they're doing alright until that home defeat to Sunderland.
"They'll have an idea and understanding that when Cole Palmer does return, they want him fit and available not just for two, three, four or five games, but for the festive period to January and beyond through the remainder of the season."
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