Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has revealed that Cole Palmer will be unavailable for Saturday's Premier League fixture against Fulham.
In two years at Stamford Bridge, Palmer has had minimal time out of the starting lineup, making a total of 98 appearances in all competitions.
However, during the warm-up ahead of last Friday's showdown with West Ham United, Palmer felt that he could make a groin issue worse by playing at the London Stadium.
As such, the England international was withdrawn from the starting lineup ahead of Chelsea cantering to a 5-1 victory in East London.
At the midway point of this week, Palmer was not involved in first-team training, giving the indication that he may struggle to return to the squad for the final game before the September international break.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca pictured on August 22, 2025
Maresca confirms Palmer injury blow
Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Maresca confirmed that the 23-year-old would not be involved in the West London derby.
He added that Benoit Badiashile and Romeo Lavia would also remain on the sidelines for the game at Stamford Bridge.
"Cole, we need to see day by day. The other two, I don't think that they are going to be back after the international break, but they are going to be more close"
He added: "I'm always worried, but not just about them. With Romeo and Benoit, because it is long time they are out, it is normal that they need time, they need sessions.
"It is the same that we are doing with Wes, who is back. Hopefully we can give him more minutes, and slowly get the right condition."
Chelsea's Cole Palmer on June 20, 2025
Blessing in disguise for Palmer
While Maresca would have preferred to have Palmer available for selection, there is no doubt that he can benefit from a rest having played 110 games for club and country in just over two years.
Chelsea showed against West Ham that they can score goals without their best player in the team, and the Fulham game will be another opportunity to show that they do not need to be overly-reliant on one player.
Maresca hinted at the press conference that he was delighted to already have an international break on the horizon to manage some of his players' workload ahead of the start of the Champions League next month.
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