Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has suggested that Cole Palmer remains in contention to face Arsenal on Sunday afternoon.
The Blues playmaker has been an ever-present in the starting lineup for Premier League fixtures since the arrival of Enzo Maresca in the summer.
However, extending that streak to 11 starts is currently under threat after the England international suffered a knee injury courtesy of a late challenge from Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez last weekend.
Although Palmer was able to complete the final minutes at Old Trafford, he was later required to apply ice to the area and undergo a scan.
Earlier this week, Maresca revealed that Palmer had been unable to return to training since the incident, putting his participation versus the Gunners in significant doubt.
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What has Maresca had to say?
Speaking to reporters after Thursday's Conference League fixture versus FC Noah, Maresca revealed that Palmer had still been kept out of training ahead of the weekend.
The Italian said, as quoted by football.london: "He's better. He's getting better. If he can walk and have dinner, that doesn't mean he is completely fit.
"He's getting better. Hopefully we can have him for the session at least on Saturday and then we can take a decision."
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Would Chelsea miss Palmer?
When talking about a player who has emerged as one of the best in world football over the past 15 months, this is perhaps an illogical question.
However, Palmer did not perform to his best in recent fixtures against Liverpool and Man United, Chelsea scoring just once in each of those fixtures.
That double-header was sandwiched between a man-of-the-match performance in a Premier League fixture versus Newcastle United, yet Palmer has only matched the high standards that he set in previous games once in four outings.
Joao Felix and Christopher Nkunku are both eager to make an impression in the top flight, the pair having just one league start between them all season.
In all competitions, though, they have contributed 15 goals and two assists, and it would make sense to take no risks on Palmer when Maresca has two world-class talents able to deputise for him.
Darren Plant
