Cole Palmer’s Chelsea team-mate shares wild story behind star’s freak injury | Football | Sport
Marc Cucurella has suggested that his Chelsea team-mate Cole Palmer suffered his fractured toe while playing EA Sports FC 26. The England international has been out since September with a groin problem and was nearing a return until Enzo Maresca last week revealed he had suffered a new toe injury that will keep him out of more matches. It has since emerged that Palmer stubbed the little toe on his left foot against a door while at home.
And Cucurella says the problem occurred while Palmer, who was due to return to training the next day after two months out, was playing video games. “To be fair, I couldn’t believe it. I don’t know [exactly what happened]. He’s running because I think he lost a FIFA game or something like this, I think.”
He added: “It’s true that these things can happen sometimes. We have a couple of times these things, but I’m stronger than them so I don’t feel anything! It’s a big upset for us, because he was near to playing with us and train with us. Now he needs to rest.
“But it’s part of life, a part of football. We have a personal life and have these kinds of problems. Hopefully he can recover fast.”
Enzo Maresca has confirmed that Palmer is set to return soon having returned to the grass. But the Italian was unable to name the exact date that the playmaker will be back out on the pitch. The Blues host Barcelona at Stamford Bridge in a Champions League clash this Tuesday, followed by a match against Premier League leaders Arsenal five days later.
Palmer will be absent for both and Maresca stated: “Yeah, we don’t know when, but for sure, it will be soon. He is already on the pitch, touching the ball, and the feeling is good.”
The Chelsea manager also addressed queries about whether Palmer would be fit for the upcoming London derby this weekend. He said: “We are here for tomorrow’s game and, after that, we will see about the Arsenal game.
“The last time I spoke with Cole was after the session yesterday to see how he was feeling. But I didn’t ask him for details about the injury at all.”
Maresca also acknowledged that the coming week is crucial for his team. He said: “It’s a big week, as you said, but at the end of this week, we have Leeds away, Bournemouth away, Atalanta away – so it’s another big week.
“Every game is three points. Barcelona tomorrow and Arsenal Sunday are important, for different reasons, but it’s important for us to go game by game.”
Speaking before the weekend’s win over Burnley, Maresca had said that Palmer would miss both the fixtures against Arsenal and Barcelona. He stated: “Cole won’t be available for tomorrow, no. For sure, he won’t feature in this game. And for sure not for Barcelona or Arsenal.
“Unfortunately, he had an accident at home two days ago, where he hit his toe. It is fractured. It’s disappointing, but these things can happen. It’s nothing too serious, but it’s causing him some pain in his little toe and, for sure, hes not going to be available for this week or next.
“He was very close to being back with us from his groin issue, which is very good, but then he’s had this problem with his toe, which has set him back. It’s nothing major, but he needs a bit more time to recover.”
Palmer has been absent from Chelsea’s previous 12 fixtures in all competitions. His most recent appearance came against Manchester United at Old Trafford, lasting merely 20 minutes before he went off.
A groin problem also sidelined Palmer for the concluding two matches before September’s international break. He featured in the subsequent three games – netting his first two goals of the season during that spell – before being struck down by his groin complaint.
