Cole Palmer’s crushing injury setback is down to Chelsea’s “impossible” pre-season, according to club legend Pat Nevin.
Palmer has been dealing with a groin injury since August and after missing England’s recent internationals, manager Enzo Maresca has confirmed the Blues will be without their star playmaker for another six weeks.
The 23-year-old’s issue followed a summer in which Chelsea’s season was extended to 330 days by their Club World Cup success in the United States.
The players only had a fortnight to relax and recover before returning for a shortened pre-season, something which Nevin believes is to blame for Palmer’s injury woes.
“Chelsea's pre-season was two games in three days. It's bizarre, it's wrong, it's impossible,” the former Blues winger, a staple of the side during the 1980s, told OLBG. “So it's going to hit them. And that's going to be Enzo Maresca’s biggest challenge this season.
“Cole Palmer is the same as everyone, not in terms of quality, but in terms of he's one of those things called a human being.
“The physicality of what Chelsea players have gone through, it's going to get to them and we know it's going to get them. And it's not a maybe, it's a when, not if.”
Palmer played more than 50 times in all competitions last campaign, despite being rested for part of their successful Conference League campaign.
He was integral to their triumph at the inaugural Club World Cup, scoring twice and assisting Joao Pedro as Chelsea dismantled European champions Paris Saint-Germain in the final.
But it appears Palmer’s efforts have taken its toll, developing a groin problem at the beginning of the new season.
He aggravated the issue during Chelsea’s 2-1 defeat to Manchester United on 20 September, having not played since being substituted early into the clash at Old Trafford.
"I was wrong [about Palmer],” Maresca said ahead of the trip to Nottingham Forest. “Unfortunately he needs to be out for six more weeks.
"We try to protect Cole as much as we can. The most important thing is when he comes back, he is fully fit.
"The medical staff are not magicians. We hope six weeks are enough. We need to see it step-by-step. For sure, he's going to be okay.
"He looks relaxed. He has tried to recover from the injury and is doing all the therapy."
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