Chelsea will be without Cole Palmer, for their Europa Conference League opener against Genk on Thursday night.
The England international misses the opportunity to build on his record-breaking Premier League performance after scoring an impressive four goals in the first half of Chelsea’s 4-2 victory over Brighton.
Last season’s Premier League Young Player of the Year has already set the stage to challenge for the main accolade this season, boasting six goals and four assists in just six games.
Palmer’s influence has only been absent in Chelsea’s Conference League playoff victory over Servette in August, where he made substitute appearances in both legs of the 3-2 aggregate win against the Swiss side.
However, he will not have the chance to score his first European goal since joining Stamford Bridge, as he is ineligible to feature during the Conference League group stages.
Cole Palmer was omitted from the league phase squad by Enzo Maresca for load management reasons and cannot be re-added to the UEFA list until the winter transfer period.
If Chelsea progresses in all five potential competitions this season, Palmer’s teammates could face the prospect of an 80-game season.
In addition to their 38-game Premier League campaign, Chelsea will compete in the FA Cup, EFL Cup, and Europa Conference League.
They are also set to participate in the 32-team Club World Cup next summer, which runs from June to July 2025.
Palmer has already dealt with muscle fatigue this term, having exited Chelsea’s 2-0 win over Servette due to a hamstring issue.
This discomfort forced him to withdraw from Lee Carsley’s first England squad during the September international break.
Consequently, Maresca has decided to reduce Palmer’s workload to prevent further muscle problems for the remainder of the season.
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