Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca said he would need to carefully manage the return of his star player
Palmer returned to the squad against Arsenal but remained on the bench
Palmer returned to the squad against Arsenal but remained on the bench (Action Images via Reuters)
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Chelsea fans have waited a long time to see Cole Palmer back in action after more than two months out with injury but the wait could be over as early as Wednesday, according to Enzo Maresca.
The England international was initially sidelined with a recurring groin problem then fractured a toe in a freak accident, stubbing his toe on a door at home, which extended his lay-off.
On his return to action he remained on the bench for the Blues’ 1-1 draw with Arsenal at the weekend, with Maresca avoiding bringing him on as Chelsea went down to 10 men.
Speaking ahead of Wednesday’s trip to Leeds, Maresca said: “He is available. The last game he was on the bench for sure, [it] was more complicated for Cole because now he needs to come back in terms of fitness condition.
“He is available, he can start the game. The idea of the game is to start giving minutes until he can play 90 minutes.”
Chelsea battled to a draw with league leaders Arsenal despite having Moises Caicedo sent off, and are now unbeaten in their past seven games in all competitions, with the chance to go within three points of the Gunners if they beat Daniel Farke’s side tomorrow.
Maresca conceded it would be difficult without Caicedo, who initially received a yellow card for a dangerous tackle on Mikel Merino before it was upgraded to a straight red shortly before half-time on Sunday.
“Absolutely yes,” Maresca said. “For sure, again, we are a better team with Cole, we are a better team with Moi, we are a better team with Levi [Colwill].
“But when these players are not available, we try to find a solution. We did the same thing with Levi, we did the same thing when Cole was out. And now we have to do something different because of Moi.”
Maresca made just one change for Sunday’s game after they beat Barcelona in the Champions League last week, and admitted that injury-prone players such as Reece James will need a rest to avoid further problems.
On starting James, he said: “It's complicated. I would like to start him, but we need to do the right thing.”
The versatile James has been among Chelsea’s best players in their recent surge up the table and the manager heaped praise on him, saying: “He has been a full-back all his life. He also has played as a midfielder. But I think he can be good in both positions.
“When we decide for him as a midfielder, most of the time it's also when we want physicality in terms of midfielders, when we face some teams that are strong in the middle. So it depends a little bit on the game plan. But he’s doing very well in both positions.”