An injury expert has predicted how long Chelsea's Cole Palmer will be out for after he dropped out of the Blues' starting XI during their 5-1 victory over West Ham. The Englishman was looking to bounce back after a quiet display in the opening weekend draw with Crystal Palace, and was named in a new-look attack for Enzo Maresca's side, which saw Liam Delap leading the line and Joao Pedro moving out wide.
However, cameras caught Palmer leaving the pre-match warm-up early before it was confirmed that he was out of the game at the London Stadium through injury, with Willian Estevao replacing him. And while the visitors recorded a comfortable victory, the last thing they need is for their key man to be out for a sustained period. Luckily, it seems as though that may not be the case.
Expert Predicts Palmer Injury Length
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Speaking after the win over the Hammers, Maresca indicated that Palmer had been struggling with his fitness throughout the week leading up to the fixture.
"Cole, in the last four or five days, was not 100%. Today, he tried to warm up, but he felt something," the Italian revealed.
"So, we prefer not to take any risk to get worse, and we'll see now in the next hours if it's something important or not. Probably (for the) Palace game he was not 100%.
"But he is trying to make a big effort for the club, for the team, for the fans. Because he is really keen about the team. Tonight, again, he tried again. But it was not very good."
It was later revealed that Palmer was dealing with a groin issue, prompting the Physio Scout to provide a potential diagnosis on social media.
The expert wrote that: "Groins are one of the most commonly injured areas for footballers, as they facilitate repetitive kicking actions."
They would then go on to state that if it was just a tight groin, the England star may return in time for Chelsea's next Premier League contest at home to Fulham. As for if there was a bigger strain on the muscle, the prognosis extended to 1–3 weeks, meaning that the new number 10 could miss the international break and the trip to Brentford. He would also be in a race to be fit for the trip to Old Trafford on September 20th.