Chelsea attacker Cole Palmer sustained an injury in Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Manchester United last week. The England international was on the receiving end of a tackle from opposition defender Lisandro Martinez for which the Argentinian received a yellow card.
The horrendous tackle was bad enough to warrant a VAR review, but Martinez luckily avoided a red card for the reckless challenge. Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca was not happy with the referee’s decision as seen in a post-match interview.
Maresca said: “I told [the referee] at the end of the game that if you don’t go for the ball and you just go for the player it is a red. When there’s no intention to go for the ball and you go for the player’s legs, for me there’s no doubt about the decision. I think it’s quite clear that it was a red.”
The 22-year-old was unable to train and remained sidelined for Chelsea’s thumping 8-0 win over Noah in the Conference League on Thursday night. There were concerns about whether the Chelsea star would be available for the London derby against Arsenal on Sunday.
Will Cole Palmer be available for the Arsenal game?
On Wednesday, Enzo Maresca revealed that Palmer has not participated in first-team training casting doubt over his availability for Chelsea’s upcoming tie against Arsenal.
On Friday evening, Palmer uploaded a picture of himself where he was seen receiving cold compression therapy on his injured knee at Chelsea’s training ground. Following Chelsea’s 8-0 win over Noah, Maresca said: ‘He’s better. He’s getting better.
‘If he can walk and have dinner, that doesn’t mean he is completely fit.
‘He is getting better and we still have two days to prepare for the game.
‘Hopefully, we can have him for a session, at least on Saturday, and then we take a decision.’
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