Enzo Maresca gives important Cole Palmer injury update as Chelsea return nears
Cole Palmer is closing in on a return to the Chelsea starting XI after Enzo Maresca revealed the latest on his situation ahead of the clash with Brentford.
Palamer missed the wins against West Ham and Fulham after suffering a groin injury during the warm up at the London Stadium last month.
He was left out of Thomas Tuchel‘s England squad as a result, and has spent the international break recovering ahead of his return to the Chelsea side.
The summer signings of Joao Pedro, Jamie Gittens and Estevao have helped ease the blow of Palmer’s absence as they have picked up six points from two games without him.
More recently, Palmer shared an injury update to social media with an image captioned “Soon back”, in a hint that he could return sooner rather than later.
Enzo Maresca provides Cole Palmer injury update
Palmer’s absence has been felt at Chelsea during his spell on the sidelines despite managing to pick up wins against both West Ham and Fulham.
Maresca is hopeful that the midfielder will return ahead of the West London derby against Brentford on 13 September, with his latest reveal shedding more light.
In his pre-Brentford press conference at their Cobham training ground, Maresca confirmed Palmer has returned to first-team training with the squad.
The England star returned to action for the first time on Thursday 11 September, and the final decision about his availability will be made after training on Friday.
There is growing hope at Stamford Bridge that their star player will make his return against Brentford, with a crucial run of games coming up.
Palmer return a huge boost to Chelsea ahead of Brentford clash
Chelsea struggled against Fulham without Palmer despite their 2-0 win as they lacked the same fluidity and expression he brings to their attacking play.
Despite the array of attacking talent available to Maresca, the England international remains a crucial part of his side ahead of his much-anticipated return.
With their opening Champions League league stage clash against Bayern Munich coming up on 17 September, there are doubts over whether he will be risked against Brentford.
However, should the Blues’ physios pass him as fit to play at the Gtech Community Stadium, there is no doubt his presence will increase their chance of taking all three points.
Last season, he made 52 appearances across all competitions scoring 18 goals and 14 assists, and will be keen to get back to his best following his return.
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