Former Chelsea centre-back Frank Leboeuf has raised concerns over manager Enzo Maresca’s decision to start Cole Palmer in the Premier League clash against Manchester United, despite the midfielder still dealing with a groin injury.
Palmer had been a fitness doubt leading into the weekend match at Old Trafford, having appeared to clutch his groin late in Chelsea’s 3-1 UEFA Champions League loss to Bayern Munich the previous week.
The England midfielder had already missed Chelsea’s games against West Ham United and Fulham due to the same issue.
He was also ruled out of England’s most recent international fixtures as he focused on recovering.
Nonetheless, Maresca named him in the starting lineup against Manchester United, but the decision backfired as Palmer had to be substituted after just 21 minutes due to the recurring groin problem.
“Cole Palmer is a fantastic player and you need a Cole Palmer to create something, but you need him at 100 per cent,” the former Chelsea defender told ESPN.
“If you have a Cole Palmer at 60 or 70 per cent, he is going to be useless because he can’t develop his skills.
“I heard the coach say, ‘Well, he made a huge effort and he wanted to play,’ but if I were the coach, you would stay on the bench.
“I had many groin problems throughout my career and you cannot play – it’s a nightmare. It can last for six months, so you need a rest and to make sure you properly heal, and you come back only when you are 100 per cent.
“Even if you are Cole Palmer, Maradonna or Zidane, you only come back when you’re 100 per cent because otherwise you aren’t going to be as good as we expect.”
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