Chelsea midfielder Cole Palmer has emerged as a fitness doubt for the fixture with Arsenal after the international break.
During the closing days of the summer transfer window, Chelsea moved to sign the playmaker from Manchester City in a £42.5m deal.
Palmer had previously impressed for his boyhood club without being provided with sufficient first-team starts, with the consequence being that the 21-year-old had become concerned over his development.
Since arriving at Stamford Bridge, though, Palmer has starred for the Blues, contributing one goal and two assists from his 316 minutes of football in all competitions.
While Mauricio Pochettino will be keen to use Palmer against the Gunners in the Premier League on October 21, his participation now looks in doubt.
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On Thursday night, Palmer was handed the captain's armband for England Under-21s as they squared off against Serbia at the City Ground.
Although the Young Lions remarkably came from behind to win by a 9-1 scoreline, Palmer was forced to be withdrawn shortly after half time.
At the time, it appears that he had sustained a thigh injury, less than a week after there had been concerns over a fitness issue picked up at the back end of the 4-1 win over Burnley.
Under-21s boss Lee Carsley revealed after the match in the East Midlands that Palmer had been substituted with "a dead leg".
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Carsley said, as quoted by Metro: "There are a few bumps and bruises and we will monitor Cole but we will not be taking any chances."
England Under-21s play another Euro 2025 qualifying fixture on Monday night when they square off against Ukraine, one of their group rivals.
As it stands, Palmer appears to be a huge doubt for that contest and he could now be rested in a bid to try to recover for the upcoming showdown with Arsenal.
Chelsea will head into that encounter already sitting nine points adrift of their London rivals in the Premier League table.
Darren Plant
