The last thing Chelsea FC need right now is more injuries. While their current injury list isn’t all that long, last season was nothing short of a year long M*A*S*H* unit. Forward Cole Palmer and defender Malo Gusto are coming back to the Cobham training ground, this international period, due to injuries.
It sounds like these issues are less serious, and just more precautionary in nature.
However, you never really know what is going on behind the scenes, and it’s always better to be safe than sorry. Let’s start with Cole Palmer, who, along with Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins, reported for England national team duty at St George’s Park.
But as the English Football Association statement points out, the duo returned to their clubs “to continue their rehabilitation from ongoing issues.”
Shifting gears to Gusto, he was set to join the France U21s, for their European Championship qualifiers against Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Instead he’s coming back to London, to rehab.
The club statement points out that he “suffered a thigh injury during the second half of our game against Crystal Palace on Sunday.”
Cole Palmer and Chelsea currently sit 11th in the table, at this international break. They’ll next visit AFC Bournemouth, on Saturday Sept. 14th.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.