Chelsea suffer blow as in-form star comes off injured on international duty
Chelsea's Cole Palmer has suffered a thigh injury while on international duty with England's under-21 side. He started their UEFA Euro U21 qualifiers 9-1 win over Serbia on Thursday (October 12) but was taken off in the second half.
The attacker sustained an injury to his right thigh in the first half but continued with a bandage. However, he ultimately had to be subbed off soon after the restart. He is now a doubt for their upcoming game against Ukraine in the aforementioned competition.
Talking to the media after his side’s win, England U21s head coach Lee Carsley said (via Metro):
"There are a few bumps and bruises and we will monitor Cole but we will not be taking any chances."
Palmer recently scored his first goal for Chelsea in the club's 4-1 win over Burnley in the Premier League earlier this month. Since his £42.5 million move from Manchester City this summer, he has made seven appearances for the Blues, also assisting two goals.
Notably, the 21-year-old scored twice for the Cityzens this term. He netted in their Community Shield defeat to Arsenal and the UEFA Super Cup win over Sevilla.
Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino praises Cole Palmer
After a disastrous start to the 2023/24 season, Chelsea have returned to form, registering three wins on the trot. Notably, Palmer started all three of those victories and chipped in with a goal and two assists.
Blues manager Mauricio Pochettino was all praise for the England U21 international, saying his unpredictability was key to the team's recent upturn in form.
"Cole Palmer is a good link player and links with all his teammates. We are giving him a starting position on the right to play in between the lines because he is ready to be unpredictable. Football is a game where you need to be unpredictable and he has the capacity to do this," he told the media (via Mirror).
However, the recent thigh injury makes Palmer doubtful for the Blues' upcoming league game against Arsenal on Saturday, October 21.
Pochettino's side are currently 11th in the league table with 11 points from eight games.