Tosin Adarabioyo makes Cole Palmer claim ahead of Chelsea's clash with Ajax | OneFootball

Tosin Adarabioyo insists Chelsea are "doing well" despite the extended injury absence of their "best player" Cole Palmer, who will still be out against Ajax on Wednesday.

Recently, Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca confirmed that Palmer's recovery period from a recurring groin issue has been extended to another six weeks.

This means that the midfielder is expected to be out until at least late November.

Considering Chelsea's congested schedule, Palmer could miss the next seven to eight games, having already missed the team's last five games in all competitions since his 20-minute appearance against Manchester United in September.

Tosin, however, is adamant that Chelsea are coping well without their ace player.

"We're doing well," Adarabioyo said in Tuesday's press conference when asked about how the team has coped with Palmer's absence.

"We've obviously missed Cole Palmer, he's our best player, but again, we're doing very well.

"You saw Joao (Pedro) go into that number 10 role that Cole normally fills and did a great job at the weekend."

Joao Pedro moved into the number 10 position in the second half against Nottingham Forest, after Maresca deployed Marc Guiu to play upfront after half-time.

Andrey Santos started in this position in the first half.

IMAGO / SOPA Images

Unfortunately for Chelsea, Joao Pedro is not an option for the Ajax game, since he will have to serve his one-match suspension for his red card against Benfica.

Maresca has also used a number of other players in this position, including Enzo Fernandez, Estevao, on-loan midfielder Facundo Buonanotte, and even Malo Gusto, who is naturally a right-back.

Fernandez, in particular, could be available for Ajax's visit after missing out on the Nottingham Forest win due to a minor knee injury.