LONDON (AP) – Chelsea playmaker Cole Palmer will be out for another six weeks due to an ongoing groin problem, manager Enzo Maresca announced Friday.
The England international has not played for Chelsea since the defeat against Manchester United on September 20. The groin injury that plagued him at the beginning of the season returned, forcing him to leave midway through the first half.
Maresca previously said he had hoped Palmer would be available after the latest international break, but spoke ahead of Chelsea’s Premier League game at Nottingham Forest on Saturday: “I was wrong. Unfortunately, he will probably have to be out for another six weeks. So this is the latest information.”
Maresca said Palmer will not need groin surgery, adding, “We’re trying to protect Cole as much as we can, but the most important thing is that he’s fully healthy when he comes back.”
The new schedule means Palmer could miss around six or seven Premier League games, as well as three Champions League games and the English League Cup trip to Wolverhampton on October 29.
“It’s difficult to replace Cole, because Cole is a very important player for us, probably one of the best players in the Premier League… We need to find another solution, another skill. We don’t have another player like Cole. Cole is unique,” Maresca said.
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