Chelsea star sent home from international duty following injury scare

Chelsea star Cole Palmer has been sent home from international duty with England’s U21s squad with a leg injury, according to a report from 90min. As things stand, it is unclear if Palmer will be fit to face Arsenal at the weekend - given the nature of his injury, as well as the presence of adequate replacements in his position, it is likely that we won’t be seeing him in the starting XI on Saturday afternoon.

What was said regarding the decision to send Cole Palmer home?

On the decision to send Palmer home, England U21s manager Lee Carsley said in a press conference: “We could’ve kept Cole here another day and see how it was, but we didn’t think it was right.

“I think Cole would be fine [for Ukraine] but we don’t take any chances with any of the players. If there’s a slight doubt that they’re going to miss a [club] game at the weekend, we get them back to the clubs as quickly as we can.”

How important has Cole Palmer been for Chelsea this season?

So far, across all competitions, Palmer has made seven appearances in the 2023/24 season for Chelsea, scoring a single goal and notching up a pair of assists. Palmer has generally been used as a rotation option at Chelsea thus far. He has played in five of Chelsea’s eight Premier League games in the 2023/24 season, starting in just two of them.

According to FBref, he has played 242 minutes for Chelsea this season. Additionally, he has also played 22 progressive passes - meaning he is averaging 11 forward passes a game. On top of this, he has also completed two goal-creating actions so far - more than regular starters such as Nicolas Jackson, Enzo Fernandez and Conor Gallager.

Palmer has flown under the radar at Chelsea this season, given their massive influx of players in the summer. Nevertheless, he remains an underrated talent who continues to surprise his detractors.