After bagging a hat-trick at the weekend, Chelsea fans assumed Cole Palmer was back to his best.
The attacking midfielder has been managed by new Blues boss Liam Rosenior, who revealed the 23-year-old has been playing with a groin injury over the past few months.
As such, the England international missed the team’s 3-1 win against Crystal Palace, and was brought off after 60 minutes following his hat-trick against Wolves.
Cole Palmer might not start for Chelsea against Leeds United tonight.placeholder image
Cole Palmer might not start for Chelsea against Leeds United tonight. | Getty Images
Tonight (February 2), Leeds United travel to Stamford Bridge - but Chelsea may have to contend without Palmer in the starting XI once again, as Rosenior continues to manage his fitness.
The Chelsea manager said: “He [Palmer] is available - it’s difficult. We’ve rotated a lot, which we need to do.
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“The players had no pre-season and they’ve been magnificent. You have to be well prepared tactically to give them the right plans and solutions.”
Elsewhere in the squad, Reece James has returned from injury but remains a doubt for tonight’s game. The 26-year-old has missed Chelsea’s last two matches against Arsenal and Wolves after picking up what was described as a small knock following the 3-2 win over West Ham.
There are also lingering concerns about the fitness of Andrey Santos and Tosin Adarabioyo, but Rosenior downplayed this in his pre-match press conference.
He said: “Reece is fit. He is feeling unwell today. It’s no conspiracy, it’s the truth.
“Andrey trained today. He’s a soldier - he had a swollen ankle, but he’s fine for tomorrow. Tosin is looking good, he trained today.”
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