Sports
No Surgery Planned for Cole Palmer – Maresca
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has reassured fans that Cole Palmer’s groin injury is not expected to require immediate surgery.
The 23-year-old England international was forced off after just 21 minutes during Chelsea’s 2-1 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday.
Addressing concerns about the injury, Maresca told reporters:
“The medical staff didn’t mention to me about surgery. I don’t know if in the next days or the next weeks, but I don’t think so, to be honest.
He made a huge effort on Saturday to try to play the game. He did the test, and he was OK, but not 100 percent. But he wanted to be there to help his teammates and to be there in that kind of game.
Unfortunately, it was painful, so we decided to change it. And it’s more day-by-day, week-by-week, game-by-game to see how it is and then decide what we do.”
Palmer has started just two Premier League matches this season and is likely to miss Chelsea’s League Cup third-round clash against Lincoln City on Tuesday. He joins Romeo Lavia and Benoit Badiashile on the sidelines.
Maresca hinted that several youth academy players could feature against Lincoln but admitted the tie poses risks.
“These are the games that worry me most, because you can slip up very easily. Football is full of these kinds of games, and I am very worried about that.”
Chelsea fans will now wait for further updates as Palmer undergoes ongoing medical assessment.
