Chelsea’s hopes of bouncing back in the Premier League were dealt a severe blow as Cole Palmer limped off with a recurring groin injury during their 2-1 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday.
The 23-year-old midfielder, who has been managing the problem since pre-season, lasted just 20 minutes before being replaced by Andrey Santos.
Manager Enzo Maresca confirmed the injury flared up again, despite Palmer undergoing a fitness test on the morning of the match.
“He was not 100 per cent fit. He made a huge effort for the team, but after 20 minutes he started to feel something, so we decided to change it,” Maresca told reporters post-match.
Palmer had recently returned from the setback, scoring as a substitute in Chelsea’s 2-2 draw at Brentford before starting against Bayern Munich in midweek. His latest setback, however, raises fresh concerns about his availability for the coming weeks.
Chelsea’s night worsened early when goalkeeper Robert Sanchez was shown a straight red card inside five minutes for fouling Bryan Mbeumo, who was through on goal.
Maresca admitted the sending-off was fair but revealed he would have preferred conceding early rather than losing his keeper so soon.
“If you ask me, I prefer to be 1-0 down after three minutes than one player down after three minutes,” he said.
The defeat leaves Chelsea searching for answers, with Palmer’s fitness now a major worry as the Blues head into a crucial stretch of fixtures.
