Cole Palmer's injury-riddled campaign has certainly had an effect on Chelsea as a team. He has returned to fitness recently but the club have been wary not to push him far too quickly, something that they did earlier in the campaign, and the Englishman ended up reinjuring himself. So, it is definitely the right step.
That being said, Chelsea need their best player on the pitch for as long as possible, when it comes to the big games. The upcoming one against Aston Villa certainly falls under that category.
Aston Villa are the most in-form team in the Premier League at the moment. If Chelsea are to have any hope of beating them at the weekend, they will need Palmer at his very best. We have seen glimpses of that, but it is unsurprising that he has not been able to produce that level consistently in what has been a frustrating campaign for him individually.
There is some good news on the injury front for Palmer though. It looks like he is now ready to play the full 90 minutes. As reported by the Independent, Enzo Maresca said:
"I think he (Palmer) is ready for 90 minutes.
“The progression for a player is 45 (minutes), one hour, 70.
“He already played one hour against Everton. He played more than 70 against Newcastle, so I think the progression is there."
Superb Cole Palmer news confirmed before Chelsea vs Aston Villa
Of course, just because Palmer is ready for 90 minutes does not mean that he should immediately start playing full games consistently, like he was doing in the past. The load still needs to be managed carefully.
It is worth pointing out that the groin issue has never really gone away for Palmer. If he is pushed physically, there is every possibility that he could end up back on the sidelines for the third time this season. That is the last thing that Chelsea need.
Let's hope that Palmer can make his presence felt against Aston Villa. There are a lot of people claiming that Morgan Rogers has now moved ahead of him. Perhaps it is time to remind the world just what he is capable of on his day.