It's difficult to overstate Cole Palmer's importance to Chelsea, but it's probably reflected in how determined head coach Enzo Maresca has been to have him at his disposal this season despite a persistent, niggling groin injury. The Blues have now paid a significant price for that over-reliance on the 23-year-old, with the attacker – who has already been sidelined for close to a month – now ruled out until December, in a crushing blow to his club and his World Cup hopes.
Palmer has only made four appearances in all competitions this season; after pulling out of the starting line-up on the second Premier League matchday of the campaign, he returned prematurely in spite of the ongoing problem in September and was inevitably forced back onto the treatment table as the wear and tear on his groin became too much to bear.
Having already missed a month of action, Maresca has now revealed that Chelsea's talisman requires a further six weeks to recover, meaning he won't be seen until late November at the earliest and will be sidelined for at least nine club matches between now and then, in what will be a defining period for the Blues' long-term prospects in 2025-26. The only silver lining is that, for now, he doesn't require surgery.
It also means he will be forced to sit out a third England camp in a row in November, having been unavailable to Thomas Tuchel in both September and October through the same injury, and – despite his obvious talent – his hopes of going to the World Cup next summer are now under serious threat as the German tactician looks to reward those who have performed consistently for him so far.
AFPPaying the price
There is little doubt that this is an injury that Palmer could have avoided or that would have been less severe if it wasn't for Chelsea's run to unexpected glory at the Club World Cup in the summer, where the 23-year-old was their hero once again as he dismantled European champions Paris Saint-Germain almost singlehandedly in the final.
Despite the west Londoners often coming up against relatively weaker opposition in the U.S., Palmer clocked up more than 550 minutes in six games over the course of just under a month. It is believed that this groin problem flared up at some point during the tournament, where matches were invariably played in excruciating and physically draining heat and humidity.
After the final on July 13, the squad was afforded just three weeks off before reporting back for training in early August as part of their scaled-back warm-up plans, with Palmer playing more than 100 minutes across their two friendlies against Bayer Leverkusen and AC Milan on the same weekend when, evidently, he wasn't fully fit.
It's easy to forget that he was also involved in the completely misguided post-season England camp in June, too – needlessly playing in what should have been a routine win over Andorra before warming the bench against Senegal.
AdvertisementGetty Images Sport'Bizarre, wrong, impossible'
Chelsea legend Pat Nevin is in no doubt that the club's summer schedule is to blame for Palmer's injury woes, with the attacker previously a near ever-present for the west Londoners.
"Cole Palmer is the same as everyone, not in terms of quality, but in terms of he's one of those things called a human being," the Scot told . "The physicality of what Chelsea players have gone through, it's going to get to them and we know it's going to get them. And it's not a maybe, it's a when, not if.
"So Cole's getting a little bit of it now. Because he played all through the summer, I thought a big hit would happen around November, December time. I thought that sort of time you'd start seeing a lot of injuries and form dipping with a number of players.
"Chelsea's pre-season was two games in three days. It's bizarre, it's wrong, it's impossible."
Getty Images SportRushed back
Some blame should certainly be attributed to Maresca and perhaps the Chelsea medical staff following this latest setback, as his unwavering determination to have his key man available as often as possible has undoubtedly come at the detriment of his fitness.
Following his last-minute withdrawal before the thumping victory over West Ham on matchday two of the league season in August, apparently after painkillers failed to have the desired effect, the head coach admitted his talisman had already been playing through the pain barrier in the season opener against Crystal Palace five days prior, after which the attacker was criticised for a subdued performance in the goalless draw.
Palmer was able to rest during the September international break and started as a substitute in the first game back against Brentford, but he was called upon by Maresca with Chelsea trailing 1-0. He popped up with a vital equaliser, and scored again as he played the full 90 against Bayern Munich in the Champions League a few days later, but three run outs in a week proved to be too much as he was forced off after just 21 minutes at Manchester United the following weekend, and he hasn't played since.
Getty Images Sport'I was wrong'
It had been reported that Chelsea were hopeful of having Palmer back by early November, and Maresca had downplayed the severity of the problem, but he has now been forced to eat his words.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the clash with Nottingham Forest, the Italian tactician conceded: "I was wrong, unfortunately, he needs to be out for probably six more weeks. We try to protect Cole as much as we can and the most important thing is when he comes back he is fully fit.
"Unfortunately, the medical staff are not magicians, you never know that (he will definitely be fine again by then). He will probably need six weeks, we hope that six weeks is enough. It is a problem we need to see step by step, week after week. But for sure he is going to be okay."
That recovery timeline means Palmer will miss nine matches, including upcoming big games against Tottenham and Barcelona, while he faces a race against time to be fit for the showdown with Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on November 30.