Frank Leboeuf, a former Chelsea defender, has questioned manager Enzo Maresca’s choice to play Cole Palmer in the Premier League match against Manchester United despite the midfielder’s ongoing groin ailment.
Palmer was seen gripping his groin in the last moments of Chelsea’s 3-1 loss to Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League last week, raising concerns over his injury coming into this weekend’s match at Old Trafford.
Due to the same issue, the England international missed Chelsea’s games against Fulham and West Ham United.
In an effort to heal the ailment, he missed England’s international match last month as well.
However, because of the groin issue, Maresca decided to play Palmer against the Red Devils and pulled him out of the game barely 21 minutes in.
The former Chelsea defender told ESPN, “Cole Palmer is a fantastic player and you need a Cole Palmer to create something, but you need him at 100 percent.”
“A Cole Palmer who is at 60 or 70 percent will be of no value since he is unable to advance his abilities.
“He made a great effort and wanted to play,” the coach said, but if I were the coach, I would have kept you on the bench.
Throughout my career, I experienced numerous groin issues that prevented me from playing—it’s a nightmare. You need to take a break and ensure that you fully recover because it can last up to six months. You should only return after you have completely recovered.
“You only return when you’re at your best because otherwise you won’t be as good as we expect, even if you’re Cole Palmer, Maradonna, or Zidane.”
About The Author
