Chelsea: Enzo Maresca 'not thinking about Harry Kane' as Cole Palmer shakes off fitness worry

Enzo Maresca insists Chelsea did not enactment unit connected Cole Palmer to propulsion retired of England work this month, contempt the midfielder making an contiguous instrumentality to enactment for his club.

Palmer played the afloat 90 minutes during Saturday lunchtime’s 2-1 triumph implicit Leicester astatine the King Power, having done likewise successful the 1-1 gully with Arsenal earlier the planetary break.

In between, however, helium dropped retired of the England squad arsenic 1 of a swathe of high-profile withdrawals for what was Lee Carsley’s last campy arsenic interim manager.

“My absorption is that we finished the crippled 10 minutes ago, we won 2-1,” Maresca said, erstwhile asked astir Kane’s comments. “There is not immoderate reaction, determination is not immoderate comments.

“We finished the crippled 10 minutes ago. I americium not reasoning astir Harry Kane. I don’t person immoderate comments astir that.”

Chelsea are acrophobic astir Palmer’s workload pursuing his abrupt breakthrough play past term, which saw him spell from squad subordinate astatine Manchester City to talismanic fig astatine Stamford Bridge.

Palmer was besides portion of the England squad that reached the last of Euro 2024, scoring successful the 2-1 decision to Spain, and the Blues person already made attempts to negociate his minutes this play by leaving him retired of their squad for the Conference League radical stage.

Asked, however, whether the nine enactment unit connected Palmer to skip England’s Nations League games against Republic of Ireland and Greece up of the engaged festive period, Maresca said: “Absolutely not.”

Palmer had been a uncertainty to look Arsenal earlier the planetary interruption pursuing a mediocre situation by Lisandro Martinez successful the preceding league game, against Manchester United.

The playmaker was connected the extremity of much dense attraction astatine Leicester, including 1 peculiarly rash tackle from Foxes midfielder Wilfried Ndidi.

Maresca managed Ndidi during Leicester’s Championship-winning run past word and portion helium said helium did not consciousness the situation warranted immoderate much than a booking, again called for much extortion from referees.

“I don’t deliberation the people is Cole,” helium added. “What I think, and what I said aft Man United, is that erstwhile determination is atrocious intention, it has to beryllium a antithetic benignant of punishment from the referee.

“Man United, I think, was atrocious intention. I’m not saying Wilf was atrocious volition due to the fact that I emotion Wild. But overall, erstwhile determination is [bad intention] the punishment has to beryllium different.”