Chelsea star Cole Palmer will not return to the field this before the next international break in November, according to boss Enzo Maresca.
The Blues manager was speaking ahead of Chelsea’s 7:30am ET Saturday kickoff at Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.
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‘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,” Maresca said.. 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.’
Maresca said Palmer is relaxed about the recovery process and that the team is confident that he will not require surgery. The playmaker has been missing from action since an early exit against Manchester United last month.
“But the medical staff are not magicians,” Maresca added, via the BBC. “You need six weeks and we hope six weesk will be enough. A problem we need to see step by step, week by week.”
Cole Palmer injury history
Despite being fouled more than most players in the Premier League, Palmer has held up pretty well over his three years with Chelsea.
He only missed single games for a yellow card suspension and an illness in his first season at Stamford Bridge, and just one more the following PL season — a 1-0 loss at Arsenal — with a hamstring problem.
This groin injury arrived following a 90-minute run against Palace in Week 1, costing him appearances in wins over West Ham and Fulham. He played 34 minutes and scored a crucial goal in a 2-2 draw with Brentford in Week 4 before the injury flared up early in Week 5. He’s since missed a loss to Brighton and a win over Liverpool, as well as a Champions League win versus Benfica.
Prior to that, Palmer missed about three months over the 2021-22 season with Manchester City while dealing with a foot injury.
What will Chelsea star Cole Palmer miss?
Chelsea’s other injuries make Palmer’s absence hurt a bit more, but this is a soft spot in the Blues schedule.
In the Premier League, they’ll meet Nottingham Forest, Sunderland, Spurs, Wolves, Burnley, and Arsenal over the next six weeks.
They also go to Wolves in the League Cup and have Champions League matches against Ajax, Qarabag, and Barcelona.
You can imagine that Chelsea are hoping for good news before that sixth week, which includes Barcelona and Arsenal both visiting Stamford Bridge in a five-day span.
