Cole Palmer has missed the majority of the campaign through a persistent groin issue that dates back to the Club World Cup. The first time around, Chelsea were perhaps not careful enough with handling his return. He was brought on as a substitute against Brentford, then started against Bayern Munich and Manchester United, playing thrice within the space of a week. As a result, it cropped back up again.
Chelsea have seemingly been more careful handling the situation this time around. And that will continue to remain the case, even as he closes in on a return.
It is still unclear exactly when Palmer will be back on the pitch. Earlier, the Barcelona game was suggested as the target. Now, it looks like that might come a bit too early. But that does not mean that he will remain out for much longer.
As reported by The Telegraph, Palmer has returned to the grass at Cobham and will step up his work as long as he does not suffer any setbacks. The game against Barcelona has been loosely suggested as a possible return date for the Englishman but if he does not quite make that one, then he will hope to play as soon as possible after it, with Chelsea entertaining Arsenal five days later.
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So, all things considered, you should expect to see Palmer back on the pitch soon. Hopefully there won't be any setbacks.
Also, fans will be hoping that this time away is what he needed to fully recover from the issue. Chelsea cannot allow this to become a recurring issue.
The rest of the campaign is even more important for Palmer as he is believed to be desperate to be part of Thomas Tuchel's World Cup squad. If fit, one would imagine that he would get into it for sure. But if his fitness issues persist, Chelsea's Champions League-winning manager might look at other options who would be viewed as more reliable due to their injury record. Let's hope it does not come to that.