Maresca gives Palmer injury update as he reveals next steps for Chelsea star

Enzo Maresca said Cole Palmer will have a scan on a muscular issue on Monday and is unlikely to join up with the England squad.

Palmer sustained the injury in training on Saturday and subsequently missed the Blues’ 1-0 defeat to Arsenal on Sunday. It was the first time Chelsea have played without him since losing 5-0 to the Gunners in April last season.

The 22-year-old is also set to miss out on England’s World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia this month, having this week been included in Thomas Tuchel’s first squad as manager.

Maresca said: ‘I don’t think so (that Palmer will be available for England) to be honest because his injury was from yesterday’s (Saturday's) session. It’s a muscular problem.

‘He needs a scan and it's planned for Monday.’

The west London club are now sweating over whether their star man, who has struck 14 goals and provided six assists in the Premier League this season, will return against Tottenham after the international break.

When asked if Palmer could do so, Maresca replied: ‘I hope so, but we need to wait for the scan.’

The Italian also acknowledged that his side are struggling for goals without Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke, who could also both be back to face Spurs.

‘It’s a huge difference,’ he added.

‘If you think that the three players with the most goals for us, not one of them was inside the pitch today. It’s normal that offensively we can struggle a little bit.’

Meanwhile, Mikel Arteta lauded Chelsea as ‘the best attacking team in the league’.

The bizarre claim came after the Gunners overcame the west London club via a first-half Mikel Merino header — their first goal from a corner since beating Spurs on January 15. It ended a run of three games without a win in the league.

Arteta said: ‘In open play, yes (they are). By a mile. I mean the stats say it and everything that I've seen says it.

‘They can open you up, they can run in transition, they have individual quality. Any player in the defensive line can throw you in behind, they can combine on both sides, on weak sides and they are missing some big players as well at the moment.

‘It's my opinion. I have a lot of data, (which is) objective, as well what I've seen in the games that they play. I might be wrong, I don't know.’