Palmer has had a groin problem since the start of the season and has only appeared in 2 out of 5 Premier League matches. In the match against Manchester United last weekend, the 22-year-old was forced off for only 20 minutes when the pain re-onsumed, forcing Chelsea to change personnel soon.
The Blues' coaching staff and medical team have been closely monitoring the situation throughout the past time, before proposing 3 handling scenarios: continue to let Palmer play depending on the pain he is likely to suffer, give him a 4-week break or surgery. According to Maresca, the team has chosen a second option - to let the midfielder rest until after the October international break.
The Italian coach shared: "I didn't think he needed surgery. The problem was just controlling his pain and hangover. Number of games is possible. So this is why we try to be cautious with him to let him rest and hope he can reach 100% fitness after the international break.
Maresca also revealed that Palmer fully agrees with this decision. He continued: The most important thing for Cole is that he always tries hard to play. He did that against West Ham and Manchester United, although it was not easy at all.
He played a little better, but the problem was not always the case. The medical team decided that the best thing for Palmer was to rest for a few weeks to fully recover. Cole also believes he needs that.
In the context of England preparing to announce the list for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, coach Enzo Maresca hopes the Three Lions will not call up Palmer: "If he had to sit out and could not play three matches for us, the possibility of playing would be low. But that was not my decision. That is the decision of the national team".
Moving to Chelsea since the summer of 2023, Cole Palmer quickly showed his class. To date, he has played 101 matches for the London team, scoring 45 goals and 29 assists. Therefore, Palmer's continued absence in the coming time will certainly cause many difficulties for Chelsea.
