Chelsea taking Cole Palmer’s injury ‘day by day’ as Maresca hopeful of avoiding surgery

By Canadian Press on September 22, 2025.

LONDON (AP) — Chelsea is managing Cole Palmer’s fitness “day by day” and does not yet believe the playmaker needs surgery on his troublesome groin injury, manager Enzo Maresca said Monday.

The England star was forced off in the 21st minute of the 2-1 loss to Manchester United on Saturday with a recurrence of a problem that led to him missing Premier League games against West Ham and Fulham before the international break.

Maresca said Chelsea’s medical staff were still assessing Palmer’s latest setback.

“It is more day by day, week by week, game by game, to see how he is and decide what we do,” said the Italian coach, who was speaking a day before Chelsea plays third-tier Lincoln in the English League Cup.

Pushed if that meant Palmer might require an operation, Maresca said: “The medical staff, they didn’t mention to me about surgery until today.

“Now I don’t know if it will be in the next days or the next weeks but I don’t think so to be honest.”

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The Associated Press