Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has disclosed that Cole Palmer was left out of the squad for their 5-1 thrashing of West Ham United on Friday night due to fitness concerns.
Palmer, who has been a standout performer for the Blues, was unavailable as the team registered their first victory of the new Premier League campaign at the London Stadium.
In his absence, 18-year-old Estevao Willian was handed a place in the starting lineup.
Speaking after the game, Maresca revealed that Palmer had been experiencing discomfort ahead of the fixture.
“Cole, in the last four or five days, he was not 100 per cent,” Maresca said.
“Today, he tried in the warm-up but he felt something so we preferred to not take any risks.
We will see in the next hours if it’s something important or not.”
West Ham initially took the lead with a stunning strike from Lucas Paquetá, but Chelsea responded emphatically. Goals from Joao Pedro, Pedro Neto, Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo, and Trevoh Chalobah sealed a dominant comeback and all three points for Maresca’s side.
