Marc Cucurella has cheekily claimed that Chelsea team-mate Cole Palmer fractured his toe after angrily reacting to a “loss on FIFA”.
Palmer was set to resume first-team training last week after two months out with a groin injury. But the 23-year-old had a slight setback due to hurting his toe when he stubbed it on a door.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca during his press conference last week said: “He is probably not available for Saturday for sure, Barcelona for sure, or Arsenal for sure. Unfortunately, he had an accident at home where he hit his toe. It is nothing important, but he won’t be back in the next week. I wake up many times during the night – I hit my head, my legs, my everything – so it can happen.”
However, ahead of the Chelsea’s Champions League clash against Barcelona on Tuesday, Maresca provided a more positive update on Palmer.
“Yes, Cole is wearing a [protective] boot. We don’t know when he will be back but for sure it will be soon. He’s already on the pitch, he’s already touching the ball and the feeling [for him] is good,” said Maresca. “At the moment, we are only looking at tomorrow’s game. It’s a Champions League game against Barcelona, that is our focus and then we will look ahead to Arsenal. I don’t think he will be available for these two games, but he is doing well.”
Cole Palmer (3R) has resumed training but is a doubt for Chelsea UEFA Champions League clash against Barcelona. (Photo by Adrian Dennis / AFP via Getty Images)
While Maresca’s update will brighten Chelsea fans day, Cucurella alleged that this new injury was quite unavoidable.
He told reporters on Monday: “To be fair, I don’t believe it. It is true that these things can sometimes happen. I have had this a couple of times but I’m stronger than them, so I don’t feel anything. It’s a big upset for us because he’s getting closer to playing with us, to train with us, and then now he needs to rest. But this is part of life, a part of footballers’ lives, we have personal lives, and we have these kinds of problems, so hopefully he can recover fast.”
When asked what he was doing, Cucurella replied: “I don’t know. He’s running because I think he lost a FIFA game or something like this, I think!”
Chelsea fans will be eager to have Cole Palmer back on the pitch, the England international has struggled with injury this season and has been limited to just four appearances in all competitions.
