2 weeks ago
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Enzo Maresca has revealed that Cole Palmer will not return until after the November international break.
"I was wrong [about Palmer]. Unfortunately he needs to be out for six more weeks," he said on Friday. "We try to protect Cole as much as we can. The most important thing is when he comes back, he is fully fit.
"The medical staff are not magicians. We hope six weeks are enough. We need to see it step by step. For sure, he's going to be okay.
The Blues boss went on to deliver more updates on the rest of his squad ahead of the Premier League clash at Nottingham Forest.
Levi [Colwill] and Liam [Delap] are still out," he added. "Unfortunately Benoit [Badiashile] will be out until December, a muscle problem. We are going to wait for him. Moi [Caicedo], Enzo [Fernandez] and [Joao] Pedro did not take part in the session yesterday. We will see if they can train today. Reece is okay, he is fully fit.
All three stars spent the majority of the international break at Cobham, though Fernandez was initially called up to the Argentina squad before returning earlier than expected. Small issues for Pedro and Caicedo prevented them from representing Brazil and Ecuador, respectively.
Colwill and Delap were expected absentees but losing Badiashile is a blow especially after his performance against Liverpool nearly two weeks ago. James being fit is a positive especially following his withdrawal from the England squad.
With Palmer unavailable for the foreseeable, Chelsea could face a real challenge when it comes to chance creation in attack especially as Pedro and Fernandez are doubts.
First of all, to replace Cole, it's difficult," Maresca admitted on how they could replace him. "Cole is a very important player for us, one of the best in the league.
"The ones we have, in Cole's position against Liverpool was Malo Gusto. The game vs Benfica was Facundo. It depends on the game plan we have. We don't have another player like Cole. Cole is unique."
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