Cole Palmer warning before Man Utd clash speaks volumes for Chelsea after huge injury update

Cole Palmer is eyeing up a third consecutive match with a goal after returning to his best against Brentford and Bayern Munich. Chelsea won neither of those two games, but having a fully fit and firing Palmer will be a massive boost for Enzo Maresca ahead of the trip to Old Trafford for a Premier League clash against Manchester United.

A groin injury had resulted in Palmer's only appearance of the campaign being on the opening day before his bright cameo last weekend. Just five minutes after coming off the bench at the Gtech Community Stadium, Palmer scored a superb goal.

Three days later, he fired in an excellent strike to equalise in the Champions League clash against Bayern Munich. A second goal at Allianz Arena did arrive, but it was disallowed, and the German champions won 3-1.

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The 23-year-old was by far Chelsea's best performer on the night, but it looked to end disastrously when he was spotted holding his groin.Maresca confirmed that Palmer told him he was okay, and he has since provided a fresh update on his condition during a press conference.

Speaking ahead of the United clash, he said: "Cole is okay. We have a session now. We flew back yesterday. So we need to assess some of the players. We have some doubts. But we didn't do any sessions since Wednesday's game. And we'll see how it goes."

If Palmer is fit to feature, he will likely be key in deciding the outcome as he has been in this fixture before. In the 2023/24 season, Palmer scored a hat-trick when Chelsea won 4-3 at Stamford Bridge in April 2024 after also scoring in a 2-1 defeat six months earlier.

Ahead of the latest trip to Old Trafford, Palmer reposted a Chelsea Instagram reel which showed him nutmegging Bayern's Konrad Laimer with ease before moving possession on courtesy of a no-look pass.

If that is the Palmer Chelsea have at their disposal on Saturday evening, then United could be in trouble, with the England international determined to ensure it will not be three games without a win for his side especially after his brutal comments on Wednesday evening.

Speaking with TNT Sports, Palmer said: "Yeah [frustrating]. We deserved more. We started well, had early chances but when you make mistakes at the highest level it's difficult.

"There was a lack of concentration, not managing the moments correctly.

"We showed that we could play against one of the best teams in the competition. We deserved more, to be honest. The manager said to us that we can go toe-to-toe.

"It's a good learning curve, and to be back in the competition is nice. I don't even know [what happened in the second half]. We're not coming here to be a learning curve. We showed we want to compete."

Alejandro Garnacho will also be looking to make an impact at his old club after two substitute appearances. The Argentina winger had a disrupted pre-season, but Maresca has confirmed he could be named from the off.

"In the last two games, he was inside very good," the Chelsea boss said on Garnacho. "He can be very good in the second half. I explained to him the other day against Bayern Munich. We are adapting our style, what we want from the winger. Now, if he's ready to start tomorrow, I think he's ready to start."