Chelsea have been handed some bad news regarding the situation of Cole Palmer. The English midfielder had to be subbed off after just 20 minutes in the game against Manchester United at Old Trafford. In the game before that, against Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena, he had appeared to be in some discomfort after playing the entirety of the match.
Palmer had returned from injury just days before that, coming on as a substitute against Brentford. And after the match against Manchester United, Enzo Maresca admitted that he was not 100% fit going into the game.
So, one has to question the decision to even start him. Palmer is believed to have been dealing with a groin injury since before the Club World Cup and the aim should have been to help him recover fully, rather than finding ways to play through the pain.
As a result of doing so, it appears that he has aggravated the issue. As reported by Simon Phillips on his Substack (via Chelsea News):
"Palmer should not have played against Manchester United at the weekend as a result of this further pain, sources have made that clear.
“Sources have heard that Palmer has a new tear in the same groin and we are looking at around 3-6 weeks out. This is as a result of further aggravation to the groin in the Bayern game."
'3-6 weeks' - Chelsea handed major Cole Palmer injury blow
It has also been claimed that surgery is an option. Of course, that would be the worst-case scenario for Chelsea but if that is the only way to deal with the issue in the long-term than it has to be considered as soon as possible.
The priority has to be to make sure that Palmer returns completely fit. The club cannot allow him to be caught in a cycle of returning, playing a few games and then getting injured again. That is a loop that we have seen Reece James caught in over the years and that has had a negative impact on his career for sure.
Palmer is a special talent who needs to be protected. Chelsea do have a backup option in the form of Facundo Buonanotte, who looked decent against Brentford, and can fill in for the time being.
We wish Palmer a speedy recovery and hope to see him back on the pitch as soon as possible. But only when he is fully fit.