Chelsea midfielder Cole Palmer is unlikely to be back from his groin injury before November, as per several reports.
The young player managed to walk off the pitch when he was hurt during the 2-1 loss to Manchester United on September 20, thus making the situation worse. Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca had already revealed that the player needed to be “protected” after a very hectic period of games in which he even played the whole match at the Club World Cup this summer.
Based on an update from Maresca, the head coach expected Palmer to be available right after the international break in October but evaluating his current condition, it seems that he is far from being ready so he has to stay longer in the recovery room.
As a result of his injury, the English midfielder will be forfeiting next Nottingham Forest and Sunderland matches aside from the Carabao Cup meeting with Wolves and Champions League fixture against Ajax.
The Blues have been struggling to keep fit with the likes of Colwill, Adarabioyo and Fofana not available while James and Delap are nursing minor injuries.
This is a significant loss of Chelsea’s strength as the player was one of the major contributors under Marea’s tactics. The Londoners are now nervously awaiting news of their maverick playmaker’s fitness for the Spurs clash on November 1, a game where he has scored three times and provided two assists in four wins previously.