Enzo Maresca offers Cole Palmer injury update after Chelsea issue vs Man United | OneFootball

Enzo Maresca has provided an update on Cole Palmer after he was forced off during Chelsea’s defeat to Manchester United.

The 23-year-old was taken off for Andrey Santos after 20 minutes in an enforced change, and held his groin when speaking with Maresca following the substitution.

Palmer walked down to the Old Trafford tunnel and returned with an ice pack, confirming the change was enforced.

It capped off a disappointing evening in the north west, which saw Chelsea have Robert Sanchez sent off and eventually lose 2-1 on Saturday night despite Trevoh Chalobah's consolation goal.

Maresca offered an update post-match and confirmed the Chelsea attacker was not fully fit pre-match, but a decision was made for the England international to attempt to push through to be involved.

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"Cole this morning did a test to play this game,” Maresca told BBC Sport.

“He was not 100 per cent. It was a fantastic effort for the club, for his team-mates, for the team. Unfortunately he was not 100 per cent.”

Continuing in his post-match press conference, Maresca added: “It's (been) a problem for a long time for him, his groin. He wanted to play this game, so the effort is huge but after 20 minutes, he decided it was too much.”

Palmer is now unlikely to feature on Tuesday night when Chelsea face Lincoln City in the Carabao Cup third round.

It will offer the chance for Maresca to rotate his side as Chelsea look to bounce back and claim a first win in four matches.