Chelsea Manager Enzo Maresca says Cole Palmer will be out for six more weeks as he continues his recovery from a persistent groin injury. The 23-year-old forward hasn't played a competitive match since 20 September, when he was forced off by the recurrence of an issue that first emerged during the Blues' shortened pre-season following their successful Club World Cup campaign.

Palmer has made just three Premier League appearances this season and is running short of opportunities to impress England Manager Thomas Tuchel before next summer's World Cup. Chelsea decided to rest Palmer before the international break to give him the best chance of being fit and ready by November - but Maresca has pushed his potential return back to the end of next month.

"I was wrong," Maresca told a news conference on Friday. "Unfortunately, he needs to be out probably six more weeks. So, yes, this is the update." The Chelsea manager said he was confident Palmer, who scored 15 Premier League goals last season, would not need surgery.

"We try to protect Cole as much as we can," Maresca said. "The most important thing is when he comes back, he is fully fit. "The medical staff are not magicians. We hope six weeks are enough. We need to see it step-by-step. For sure, he's going to be OK. "He looks relaxed. He has tried to recover from the injury and is doing all the therapy."

Speaking before his side continue their Premier League campaign away at Nottingham Forest on Saturday, Maresca conceded Palmer would be a big miss. "To replace Cole is difficult, because Cole is a very important player for us - probably one of the best players in the Premier League - so to replace that kind of player is always difficult," he said. "We don't have another player like Cole, because Cole is unique."

Palmer will miss Premier League games against Sunderland, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Burnley and Arsenal, and a League Cup tie at Wolves. The six-week recovery estimate would also count Palmer out of Champions League games against Ajax, Qarabag and Barcelona, while ruling him out for England's upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Serbia and Albania. It is no secret Cole Palmer is one of Chelsea's star players, so any prolonged absence is a major blow. The 23-year-old was involved in 39 Premier League goals in 2024 (26 goals and 13 assists), breaking Chelsea's club record for a single calendar year.

Last season, Palmer starred in the Conference League and Club World Cup finals, delivering two goals and three assists across both matches. Medical staff have since dealt with Palmer's recurring groin injury, trying unsuccessfully to manage him through the season so far. Palmer withdrew from the warm-up minutes before facing West Ham in August, pulled out of England international duty in September and came off after 21 minutes in the defeat at Manchester United. That Manchester United match proved the final straw, as Chelsea sought to resolve his injury once and for all.

The current stance from Maresca and the club is that surgery will not be needed, but it remains to be seen whether Palmer can fully overcome the injury after this latest setback within the new time frame.