Cole Palmer has been sidelined for an additional six weeks, Chelsea's manager Enzo Maresca announced on Friday.
The England midfielder has been absent from the game since Chelsea suffered a 2-1 loss to Manchester United on September 20, during which he had to leave the pitch partway through the first half.
Maresca previously expressed optimism that Palmer, who is 23, would return after the upcoming international break.
“I made an error. Regrettably, he will need to be out for about six more weeks. So, indeed, that is the current situation,” he stated.
The Italian coach expressed assurance that the winger would not need an operation.
“We are doing our best to safeguard Cole as much as we can, and the key factor is that he fully recovers by the time he returns,” he continued.
Maresca, whose squad is set to compete against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, remarked that substituting “one of the finest players in the Premier League” poses a challenge.
“Certainly, we must seek an alternative approach and discover different abilities, as we do not possess another athlete like Cole,” he noted. “Cole is one of a kind.”
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