Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca is upbeat over Cole Palmer’s fitness as the Blues prepare to return to Premier League action on Saturday at Leicester.
Palmer has started all 11 of the Blues’s Premier League games this season, scoring seven goals and registering five assists.
He was a minor doubt for the 1-1 draw with Arsenal prior to the international break following a poor challenge by Manchester United’s Lisandro Martinez the previous weekend.
The former Man City man allayed any concerns to play the full 90 minutes against the Gunners but Maresca immediately cast doubt over his participation with England by revealing Palmer was in pain at full-time.
The 22-year-old, and team-mate Levi Colwill, were among eight players to pull out of Lee Carsley’s final squad at the start of the break, prompting criticism from Three Lions captain Harry Kane.
With the international break over, and a trip to Leicester coming in two days’ time, Marseca said of Palmer, Colwill and other fitness doubts: “Some of them are better, some of them we will test today but overall they are much better.”
Chelsea are being cautious with Palmer’s workload this season, after his remarkable breakthrough last term, which concluded with a scoring role in England’s Euro 2024 final defeat.
He has been left out of Maresca’s squad for the Conference League group stage and did also not feature in either Carabao Cup game.
