Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has confirmed that midfielder, Cole Palmer, will remain sidelined for another six weeks due to injury.
Palmer, who has been out since limping off in the first half of Chelsea’s 2-1 loss to Manchester United on September 20, was initially expected to return after the international break.
However, speaking at a press conference on Friday, Maresca admitted that the earlier prognosis was optimistic.
“I was wrong. Unfortunately, he needs to be out probably six more weeks. So, yes, this is the update,” the Italian said.
Maresca further assured that the 23-year-old England international would not require surgery.
“We try just to protect Cole as much as we can and the most important thing is that when he comes back he’s fully recovered,” he explained.
With Chelsea set to face Nottingham Forest on Saturday, the manager acknowledged the difficulty of filling the void left by one of his key players.
“For sure, we need to find a different solution, we need to find different skills, because we don’t have another player like Cole,” Maresca added. “Because Cole is unique.”
