Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has confirmed Cole Palmer is a doubt for upcoming matches due to a groin injury.

The 23-year-old was taken off early in the game against Manchester United at the weekend, and speaking in his pre-match conference ahead of the Carabao Cup tie against Lincoln City, Maresca said:

“Cole probably is the only one that we need to assess a little bit. He already did a huge effort last Saturday. He was not 100 per cent.”

“He wants to be there to help the team. It’s day by day to see how he is. The rest are okay.”

Maresca also played down the prospect that Palmer would need surgery, claiming the medical team has not mentioned that it is option at this stage.

Return Date – Unknown

Romeo Lavia and Benoit Badiashile

Maresca has confirmed that both players were in full training on Sunday, but he said they would “not be back” for the Lincoln game.

The pair have been on the sidelines since picking up injuries during the Club World Cup knockout round match against Benfica.

While Maresca did hint that Lavia and Badiashile could return “soon”, the length of time they have been out for suggests they won’t be playing regularly again until the next international break.

Return Date – October