The England international has not played for Chelsea since the defeat to Manchester United on September 20, when he came off midway through the first half with a recurrence of the groin injury that had been troubling him earlier in the season.
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Maresca previously said he expected Palmer to be available after the most recent international break but, speaking ahead of Chelsea’s Premier League match at Nottingham Forest on Saturday, he said: “I was wrong. Unfortunately, he probably needs to be out for six more weeks. So, here’s the update.”
Maresca said Palmer does not require groin surgery, adding: “We try to protect Cole as much as we can and the most important thing is that when he comes back he is fully fit.”
Under the new schedule, Palmer could miss around six or seven Premier League games, as well as three Champions League games and the English League Cup trip to Wolverhampton on October 29.
“Replacing Cole is difficult,” Maresca said, “because Cole is a very important player for us, probably one of the best in the Premier League… we need to find a different solution, different skills. We don’t have another player like Cole. Cole is unique.”
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AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer