‘Palmer among world’s best!’ Maresca hails Chelsea star ahead of Club World Cup | OneFootball

Enzo Maresca has hailed Cole Palmer’s ability to produce magic out of nothing as the Chelsea boss praised his star man ahead of the Club World Cup.

Palmer starred in Chelsea’s Conference League triumph last month, while several man-of-the-match performances in the Premier League were crucial in the Blues sealing their return to the Champions League.

Chelsea kick off their Club World Cup campaign on Monday against LAFC in Atlanta and Palmer is expected to play a pivotal role, with Maresca eyeing more silverware.

“Cole Palmer is up there with the very best, the top players who can produce something at any moment, create something out of nothing,” he said.

“It will also be a chance for him to introduce himself to America.”

Maresca added: “When you are at Chelsea, your goal is always to win. Our goal – each and every single game – will always be to try to win them all.

“When we’re there [at the Club World Cup], that will be one of our goals: to try to win it.”

Argentine midfielder Enzo Fernandez also acknowledged Maresca’s role in getting the very best out of his squad.

“I’m a big believer in our coach: he’s taught me a great deal and really helped me to kick on, and I can’t forget my team-mates either, as they’ve always had my back,” he said.

“I try to give my all to help them in every match, and they do the same.

“It’s a really important competition [the Club World Cup]. The world will be watching, and we’ll try to perform to the best of our ability. [We’ll be] going all out to win the title, which would be a huge deal for the club.”

Chelsea’s opening match at the Club World Cup will be free to watch in the UK, with Channel 5 providing live coverage of their clash against LAFC.