Chelsea have been dealt another untimely injury setback after manager Enzo Maresca confirmed that Cole Palmer will miss the upcoming matches against Burnley, Barcelona and Arsenal due to a fractured toe sustained in an accident at home.
Maresca, speaking ahead of Saturday’s trip to Turf Moor, revealed that hopes of Palmer returning in time for next week’s Champions League tie against Barcelona have been dashed.
“He is probably not available for tomorrow, for sure; Barcelona, for sure; Arsenal, for sure,” Maresca said. “Unfortunately he had an accident at home with his toe. But it’s nothing important. For sure, he is not back next week. We don’t know. It’s fractured. The only thing we know is he is not available for this week and next week.”
The Chelsea boss went on to explain that the injury happened off the pitch, adding with a touch of humour: “I wake up many times in the night to go to the toilet, I hit my head and leg and everything. It can happen.”
Maresca said Palmer did not seem to be in significant discomfort when last seen at Cobham. “He wasn’t limping, he seemed okay, but it’s his small toe so that it can be painful.”
Despite the setback, Maresca insisted the team must adapt in Palmer’s absence. “Absolutely not, I don’t think that,” he said when asked whether Chelsea can succeed without the midfielder. “The team prefer it when Cole is playing. I feel much better with Cole on the pitch, but when he is not, we need to find solutions. The team is doing fantastic.”
Looking ahead to the Burnley match, Maresca warned against expecting a similar scenario to their win over Wolves.
“It will be a different game. Tomorrow, we need to use a different strategy and weapons. It will be a tough game after the international break, 12:30, away, it’s always a difficult game.”
Maresca also addressed the surprise reintroduction of Axel Disasi, who had been absent from the senior squad since pre-season.
“I said many times that Axel and Raheem are Chelsea players. Axel is helping the second team, the young players,” he explained. “We had five or six players here during the break and Axel was part of some sessions… At the moment, he is helping the second team. He is a Chelsea player and he is with the second team.”
Responding to speculation about goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen seeking a January move, Maresca said he had not held any recent discussions with the player on the matter.
“All the players that don’t play a lot want more minutes, it’s completely normal,” he said.
