Former Chelsea defender, Frank Leboeuf has questioned manager, Enzo Maresca’s decision to start Cole Palmer against Manchester United in the Premier League as the midfielder continues to struggle with a groin injury.
Palmer was an injury concern going into the game at Old Trafford over the weekend after he was seen holding his groin in the closing stages of Chelsea’s UEFA Champions League 3-1 defeat to Bayern Munich last week.
The England international missed Chelsea’s fixtures against West Ham United and Fulham with the same problem.
He was also absent from international duty with England last month as he looked to resolve the injury.
But Maresca opted to start Palmer against the Red Devils and withdrew him just 21 minutes into the encounter as a result of the groin injury.
“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.”