Chelsea will assess the fitness of Cole Palmer after the midfielder withdrew from Friday’s 5-1 win at West Ham with a groin problem.
The England international, who has been central to Enzo Maresca’s plans, pulled up during the warm-up at the London Stadium and was escorted back to the dressing room by a member of the club’s medical staff. He is due to undergo a scan on Tuesday to determine the severity of the issue.
Maresca admitted after the match that Palmer had been managing discomfort in the days leading up to the fixture.
“Cole, in the last four or five days, was not 100%. Today, he tried to warm up, but he felt something,” the Italian explained. “So, we prefer not to take any risk to get worse. We’ll see now in the next hours if it’s something important or not.”
The Chelsea boss added that the 23-year-old had been pushing to feature despite the setback:
“He is trying to make a big effort for the club, for the team, for the fans. Because he is really keen about the team. Tonight, again, he tried. But it was not very good.”
According to Standard Sport, Palmer did not train with the squad on Tuesday, leaving his availability for Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off against Fulham in doubt. With Maresca’s side looking to build on back-to-back league wins, his absence would be a significant blow.
