LONDON — Chelsea midfielder Cole Palmer is finally ready to play a full match after months of injury struggles, manager Enzo Maresca said today, as his side prepares to face high-flying Aston Villa in the Premier League on Saturday.
Palmer has been restricted to partial appearances due to a groin injury and a broken toe, but Maresca believes the playmaker has completed his comeback journey through a careful progression of minutes.
“I think he (Palmer) is ready for 90 minutes. The progression for a player is 45 (minutes), one hour, 70,” Maresca told reporters ahead of Saturday’s home game against Villa.
“He already played one hour against Everton. He played more than 70 against Newcastle, so I think the progression is there.”
The Italian will welcome back two more players from the treatment room, with striker Liam Delap recovering from a shoulder injury sustained earlier this month and winger Estevao returning from a muscle problem that kept him out of the last two games.