Cole Palmer sends update on injury recovery as Chelsea confirm new return timeline

Chelsea midfielder Cole Palmer has shared an update on his recovery from a groin injury that has sidelined him for over a month. 

The 23-year-old, who has not featured since the 2-1 defeat to Manchester United on September 20, marked a personal milestone this week as he celebrated 100 appearances for the Blues, but his return to action remains several weeks away.

Palmer, one of Chelsea’s standout performers last season with 18 goals across all competitions, had been expected to recover by early November.

However, manager Enzo Maresca has confirmed that the player’s rehabilitation will take longer than initially hoped. 

Despite the setback, Palmer offered fans a glimpse of optimism on Tuesday when he posted a photo from Chelsea’s training base at Cobham, where he received a special memento to mark his century of club appearances since joining from Manchester City in 2023.

Captioning the photo, he wrote, “100 & more to come! Can’t wait to be back, man.” However, reports from the Daily Mail clarified that the midfielder was only participating in indoor rehabilitation work and is not yet training on the grass, with his comeback now expected in late November.

While Palmer remains unavailable, Chelsea have been boosted by the return of Liam Delap, who has resumed full training after two months on the sidelines. 

The summer signing from Ipswich Town picked up a hamstring injury in August but is now in contention for the Carabao Cup clash against Wolves. 

The Blues’ packed fixture list ahead of the November international break will test their squad depth. 

After facing Wolves in the Carabao Cup, Chelsea travel to Tottenham Hotspur for a crucial Premier League encounter on November 1, before taking on Qarabag FK in the Champions League and then hosting Wolves again in the league.

With Palmer still unavailable, Maresca may look to rotate his attacking options heavily over the coming weeks.