Injured Palmer to have scan and could miss England games

Cole Palmer will have a scan to determine the extent of an injury which kept him out of Chelsea’s defeat against Arsenal, Enzo Maresca has revealed.

The Blues were beaten 1-0 at the Emirates Stadium and have now lost four consecutive away league matches.

Palmer missed the game after picking up an injury in training – and appears to be a doubt for England’s upcoming matches.

Head coach Maresca suggested an international break would be a timely one for the young forward.

“He needs a scan. It is planned for Monday morning. It’s a muscle problem,” Maresca explained.

“Probably in Cole’s case it (not playing) will give him some rest physically and mentally. It could be good.”

Maresca has repeatedly warned that Chelsea cannot be overly reliant on Palmer.

However, although they struggled to create clear-cut chances without him, Maresca did not believe his absence was the only reason.

“If Nico (Nicolas Jackson) was there or Noni (Madueke), probably the team would be different. It’s not just about one player,” said the Italian.

“When I say we cannot rely on Cole it’s just because I think it’s correct to say. You cannot rely on one player – don’t put too much pressure on Cole.”