Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has ruled midfielder Cole Palmer out of action until after the October international break as the Blues seek to ensure their talisman does not need surgery on a groin injury which has disrupted his start to the season.
Palmer pulled out in the warm-up of August’s victory over West Ham United and missed the following triumph over Fulham, before returning off the bench to score in the 2–2 draw with Brentford.
The England international then played 90 minutes in a goalscoring outing against Bayern Munich but managed just 20 minutes in the chaotic defeat to Manchester United, limping away with a flare-up of his original groin problem.
Ahead of Saturday’s meeting with Brighton & Hove Albion, Maresca insisted Chelsea remain confident Palmer will not need to undergo surgery, but revealed the 23-year-old will be kept out of action for the coming weeks to try and aid his natural recovery.
“We decided to protect Cole a little bit in terms of him not getting a worse injury,” Maresca explained. “So we decided to rest him for the next two, three weeks, probably until international break, just to see if with that rest he can be able to recover 100% and to be completely fit after the international break.
“I don’t think he needs surgery. It’s just a matter of managing his pain and his groin. The amount of games is something that can happen. So this is the reason why we try to be conservative with him to give him rest and hopefully he can be 100% fit after the international break.”
The Games Cole Palmer Could Miss Through Injury
Beginning with Saturday’s meeting with Brighton, Palmer could miss a total of three games if he remains out until the international break.
Palmer will be absent for the return of former Blues boss José Mourinho, who will bring his new Benfica side to Stamford Bridge for the second round of Champions League fixtures on Sept. 30.
Perhaps most worryingly for Chelsea fans, Palmer will also be unavailable for the final Premier League game before the break, which comes in the form of a visit from reigning champions Liverpool on Oct. 4.
With his injury certain to keep Palmer out of Thomas Tuchel’s England squad, Chelsea would then have another 14 days to work with their star midfielder in the hope of recovering him in time for a trip to face Nottingham Forest.
“We said that with Cole we are a better team, but we also said that we need to play games without Cole, so we are not going to play with 10 players for sure,” Maresca reflected. “We are going to find a different solution.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Enzo Maresca Confirms When Cole Palmer Will Return From Injury.
