Cole Palmer will miss Chelsea’s upcoming three games against Burnley, Barcelona and Arsenal after sustaining a broken toe in an accident at home.
Palmer hit the little toe of his left foot on the door.
The forward was due to return to the pitch after being sidelined since September with a groin injury.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said he was “certain” Palmer would miss the games against Burnley, Barcelona and Arsenal.
“Unfortunately he had an accident at home where he stubbed his toe, but it was not serious, but he won’t be back next week,” the Blues manager said.
Cole Palmer has been missing since September due to groin issue
Asked how long Palmer could be missing, Maresca added: “We don’t know. (His toe) is broken. The only thing we know is that he will be gone this week and next week.”
Maresca further elaborated on his injuries, saying, “The last time I saw him was (Thursday) morning and he wasn’t wearing socks, flip-flops, anything. He wasn’t limping very much.”
“He was walking fine, but the problem is his big toe. The contact with the boot can be a little painful.”
Palmer has only made three appearances in the Premier League this season due to a groin injury. He was sent off after just 21 minutes in his last appearance for Manchester United and has not featured for Chelsea or England since. Palmer had returned to training at Cobham before injuring his toe.
Maresca: “I feel much better when Palmer is on the pitch”
Since the 2-1 defeat at Old Trafford, Chelsea have won four league games and lost two without Palmer. They are in third place in the Premier League, six points behind leaders Arsenal.
Regarding playing without Palmer, Maresca said, “Teams like when Cole is playing. We feel much better when Cole is on the field, but when he’s not there we have to find a solution.”
“The team is great and they’re doing really well. It’s nice for the manager to see the team still playing the way they want to, even though they’re missing players.”
Analysis: Palmer is injured again with big game looming
Analysis from Sky Sports News’ Gail Davis:
“It wasn’t all that surprising that the headlines at Chelsea’s press conference were injury-related, given the season so far, but I don’t think many would have expected Cole Palmer’s left pinky toe to dominate the narrative so much.
“Palmer stuck it in the door. We can feel his pain, we’ve all experienced it, but that’s not what he and Chelsea would have wanted, having been out with a groin problem since the end of September and with a return against Barcelona and Arsenal on the horizon.
“Chelsea have shown since the game against Manchester United that they can do without their star man. A win against Burnley would leave them just three points behind league leaders Arsenal, but there is no doubt they would rather have their talisman.”
“There is also no doubt that Palmer will be keen to play. He has shown he can perform on the biggest stages of both Chelsea and England, but competition for Thomas Tuchel’s squad for next summer’s World Cup is heating up, with some big names likely to miss out.”
“Maresca says he has no doubt that Palmer will join any national team around the world. This will be a small consolation for Palmer, who is nursing a recent injury.”
Maresca downplays DiSasi’s chances of featuring in the first team
Axel DiSasi excluded from Chelsea’s first team squad
Defender Axel Disasi, who is part of Chelsea’s so-called ‘bomb squad’ alongside fellow defector Raheem Sterling, continues to train with the first team during the international break.
However, head coach Maresca ruled out the possibility of the Frenchman returning to the first team.
“Axel is helping the second team and helping the young players,” Maresca said.
“During the international break, we only had five or six players here, so we needed some second-team players. Axel took part in some sessions with the second-team players, but I think it was just one session.”
“At the moment he is helping the second team, working with the second team and being with the second team.
“He’s a Chelsea player, he’s in the second team. Raheem, again, he’s a Chelsea player and he’s in the same situation.”
Maresca also confirmed that defender Benoît Badiashile could return for the game against Burnley due to a muscular problem.
Chelsea’s next 5 games
Burnley (A) – Saturday 22nd November, 12:30pm, Premier League
Barcelona (H) – Tuesday, November 25th, 8pm, Champions League
Arsenal (H) – Sunday 30th November, 4.30pm, Premier League – Live on Sky Sports
Leeds (A) – Wednesday 3 December, 8.15pm, Premier League – Live on Sky Sports
Bournemouth (A) – Saturday 6th December, 3pm, Premier League
