In case you missed it, Chelsea FC announced their summer preseason tour yesterday. You can read more about that here and here. But today we’re going to focus on their injury list, starting with Cole Palmer, but also covering Christopher Nkunku and Levi Colwill.
For part two, covering Reece James, Romeo Lavia and more go here. Palmer, on his very first day of training with the England National Team, worked indoors away from the bulk of the squad.
This is according to a statement from England itself. While Cole Palmer was working indoors with three other members (Harry Kane, Jordan Henderson, and Bukayo Saka) of the Three Lions side, his Chelsea teammates, Conor Gallagher and Ben Chilwell, were training outdoors with the rest of the squad.
While the status of Palmer sparked an injury scare among Blues supporters, he is supposedly fine, and this was just precautionary. Palmer, Henderson, Kane and Saka are not thought to be doubts for the England friendlies this international period.
Elsewhere forward Christopher Nkunku should be in line to return to action after the March internationals are over. After all, manager Mauricio Pochettino said at the end of February that Nkunku was three to four weeks away from returning.
The last update from the club, issued right before the FA Cup win over Leicester City, described Nkunku as “continuing to undergo his rehabilitation programme.”
Finally, moving on Levi Colwill, he’s missed the last three games with a toe injury. And his return timeline is unknown at this time. Hopefully, Pochettino will have much more to say on his situation come next Monday, as the international break will be winding down.
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 Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Twitter.