Every word Liam Rosenior said on Cole Palmer to Man Utd rumours, injury blow and Crystal Palace

The full transcript from Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior's pre-match press conference ahead of the Blues' Premier League trip to Crystal Palace on Sunday afternoon

Liam Rosenior has just completed his pre-match press conference ahead of Chelsea's Premier League clash with Crystal Palace on Sunday afternoon.

The Blues go to Selhurst Park this weekend and Rosenior has just previewed the London derby. Here is every word the Chelsea head coach had to say:

Team news?

No, in terms of sickness, the players are coming back gradually to full health. We've had to be very careful with that. Estevao was very ill, Jamie Gittens was very ill, so that altered our plans over the week in terms of what we wanted to do, but thankfully the lads have come through that as well. Cole [Palmer] is in a good place during training today, which is really positive and we'll assess his reaction to training. [Filip] Jorgensen had his scan, which is actually quite positive and not as bad as we first feared. He won't be available for Palace but could be potentially for Napoli. Other than that, all is good.

Any movement on Axel Disasi and Raheem Sterling?

No, but we know the last week in January can get very busy, but no, at the moment there's nothing new to report.

Are you hopeful they can go elsewhere to further their careers?

For me, I want every player that I work with to have the best career possible. So for me, whether that's moving, whether that's being here, you want to find the right solution for every player that you work with and those two are no different.

There have been rumours linking Cole Palmer with a move to Manchester United. What is your assessment of that situation? How happy is he right now as a Chelsea player?

I've had numerous conversations with Cole and he seems very, very happy to be here. He is very, very happy to be here. He's a huge part of our plans in the long term. He's an outstanding player. Every player goes through difficult moments in their careers in terms of injury. I don't think it's any reflection on his qualities. He's an outstanding footballer. But my job and the club's job is to get him in a place where he can consistently perform at the level that he wants to. And there was frustration in the Brentford game, not because he wasn't happy here, just because he couldn't perform. He was in pain. He couldn't perform to the level he wanted to do for the club. He's a great kid and he's an outstanding player, but we have to make sure that we look after him in the right way. That's why I didn't involve him in the last game.

Is he 100% fit? Are you confident that he's on the way to being 100% fit?

That's my job. That's my job now. I want to look after the players, not to be nice to them. I want them to perform at their very peak level. So I think, not just in terms of Cole, there's a number of players in our group that we have to look after in a different way and not just force them out not to perform. I've got trust in the group. I've rotated with the squad and I'll continue to do that because I want us to be involved at the end of the season in big games and big competitions. At the moment we're in January. I want to make sure the players come through this period with wins but in full health and Cole's one of those players.

What lessons have been learned from your first four matches?

There's loads of lessons for me and my staff to learn and there's probably a lot more to come as well.

Are you enjoying it?

Loving it.

Is it a good time to play Crystal Palace?

I think it can be reported in that way. What I do know is they're an outstanding team. Selhurst Park is, for me, one of the most difficult places to go in the Premier League. You have to be ready for a physical battle. The atmosphere in the stadium is going to be red hot so we're not taking the game lightly at all. I was fortunate enough to play against Crystal Palace early in the season. I know what a good team they are and we're going to have to be very, very good to win the game.

How good an opportunity could this be to go on a winning run and build some momentum?

I don't look at it that way. I'm centred on the players you focus on the next game. It's very simple. I'm focused on Crystal Palace and after that it'll be Napoli. If you start trying to create runs or look ahead, in this league you see how difficult it is you'll come unstuck so the focus is on Crystal Palace and putting on the best performance we can.

With Romeo Lavia and Dario Essugo's fitness, could the club consider moving for a midfielder in January?

Yeah, unfortunately Dario picked up a really unfortunate injury. He slipped in training and he's going to be out for a while, over a month, which is a real shame because he's an outstanding player as well that I was really looking forward to working with. Romeo's on the way back, which is great because he can say about every player outstanding. He's a very, very good player at a very high level. But in terms of my midfield options you've got Enzo [Fernandez], Moi [Caicedo], Andrey Santos, Reece James. It's not bad. I've been really clear on this. I don't want to bring in players that don't enhance the group or the chemistry that we're building. So we have to be very selective at this stage of the season. If we do bring in the right player in a certain position, they have to have a clear impact on the team.

Is it better for Lavia to focus on his fitness for the rest of the season rather than rushing him back?

I want him back as quickly as possible. But I want him back as quickly as possible with no more injuries. That's the difference. I don't want to force him. I just had a conversation about Cole or other people in the squad. I've got a good enough squad to manage the group, I feel, and get results. But also I want Lavia to come back in a place where we know they can get game time and get repetitive games and get a flunk because he's an outstanding player.

You used a back three at times at Strasbourg. Would that ever be something you would consider here?

I adapt to each game. I'm adapting to my group at the moment. Mid-season, to come in and try and change everything, it's crazy. Actually, things have been in a decent place before I came. You'll see over time the way I adapt systems, especially defensive organisations. I'm flexible, but at the moment it's about what's best for the group and what they're used to. As I've said before, there is literally no training time on the training pitch right now. We are playing, recovering and playing again. For the next two or three months, it's going to be that way.

Is VAR something you want to keep or would you change it?

No, I think with the level of scrutiny and pressure on the games, you always want to have something that gives the referees help to make the best decisions, to make the correct decisions. The one thing for me is the time it takes for the flow of the game, for the spectacle, the fans to watch the game and enjoy it. If we can come to the right decision quicker, that would be the best thing for me.

Chelsea haven't won away from home in two months in the Premier League...

It sounds crazy. I haven't even been aware of the record before I've been here. I'm focused on each game. That's certainly something I haven't seen. It's something I'm not paying attention to. I know that if this group of players perform in the manner that I expect them to, we have a great chance of winning any game against any team. We just have to focus on that going into Crystal Palace.

Are you happy with the leaders in the group?

I'm happy with the leadership in my group. I play with players who are very loud, who shout and point and actually don't lead because they hide from the ball and don't take responsibility. I won't name names. But there's different ways to lead. There's different ways that you lead. I think my generation is different to the younger generation in terms of communication. But I love the group, whether it's Reece or Enzo or Moises or Trevoh Chalobah or Tosin [Adarabioyo]. They're all leaders in their own right and they have to be themselves. I'm not going to ask them to be something that they're not. But at the same time, I'm very, very happy with the leadership in my group.

What makes a good leader?

Someone who's authentic and honest, trustworthy and true to themselves.