Mauricio Pochettino handed huge Cole Palmer boost ahead of Chelsea vs Arsenal clash after England worry

Cole Palmer has returned to Chelsea early following international duty with England U21s.

The 21-year-old, who arrived at Chelsea in the summer from Manchester City, sustained a dead leg during England U21s 9-1 win over Serbia on Thursday night at the City Ground, which saw club teammate Noni Madueke bag a brace.

Boss Lee Carsley confirmed they would monitor Palmer ahead of their fixture against Ukraine on Monday, and now a precautionary decision has been made to send the attacker back to Chelsea ahead of their huge match against Arsenal next Saturday.

Palmer is not being risked by England despite the view that he would be ready to be selected for the international clash, offering Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino a welcome fitness boost amid initial concern.

“I think Cole would be fine, but we don’t take any chances with any of the players,” Carsley confirmed.

“If there is a slight doubt that they’re going to miss a game at the weekend, we get them back to the clubs as quickly as we can.

“We could’ve kept Cole here another day and see how it was, but we didn’t think it was right. Everyone else is fine, a few colds and sniffles.”

Palmer netted for Chelsea prior to the international break, scoring his first since arriving at Stamford Bridge, after slotting away from the penalty spot during their 4-1 win over Burnley at Turf Moor.

Pochettino’s been full of praise for the youngster and hailed his unpredictability, stating: “Cole Palmer is a good link player and links with all his teammates.

“We are giving him a starting position on the right to play in between the lines because he is ready to be unpredictable. Football is a game where you need to be unpredictable and he has the capacity to do this.”