Chelsea midfielder Cole Palmer will miss at least the next week of matches after fracturing a toe in a freak accident at home, manager Enzo Maresca confirmed on Friday.
“He’s probably not available for tomorrow at Burnley for sure, Barcelona for sure or Arsenal for sure,” Maresca told reporters. “Unfortunately, he had an accident at home where he hit his toe. It’s nothing important, but he won’t be back in the next week.”
The Chelsea boss downplayed the nature of the incident, admitting such mishaps are not unusual. “I wake up many times in the night to go to the toilet, I hit my head and leg and everything. It can happen,” he said. Maresca noted that Palmer had been “very close” to returning: “He was back with us almost with the groin, which is very good news, but he has this small problem.”
With the fracture confirmed, Chelsea have no precise timeline for when the 22-year-old will rejoin the squad. “We don’t know,” Maresca said when asked how long Palmer would be out. “The only thing we know is he’s not available for this week and next week.”
Despite the setback, Maresca praised the team’s resilience and acknowledged Palmer’s influence. “The team prefer it when Cole is playing, I feel much better with Cole on the pitch, but when he is not, we need to find solutions. The team is doing fantastic, really well.”
Maresca added that Chelsea remains fully focused on Saturday’s trip to Burnley, who have lost their last two matches and sit 17th in the Premier League table.
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