Cole Palmer was named the eighth\u2011best player in the world at the Ballon d’Or ceremony in September, but both data and the eye test indicate a dip in form.<\/p>\n
The 23-year-old is still regarded within Chelsea<\/a> as “untouchable”. Former head coach Enzo Maresca labelled him the club’s “best player” while his successor Liam Rosenior has held multiple meetings with his star forward since taking charge.<\/p>\n However, even by the reigning PFA Young Player of the Year’s own admission, Palmer is not yet operating at his fluid, brilliant best – with several mitigating factors contributing to that downturn.<\/p>\n Firstly, as Professional Footballers’ Association chief executive Maheta Molango said, the England forward has likely been suffering from burnout.<\/p>\n “When I look at someone like Cole Palmer, that’s three consecutive summers without a break,” Molango said at the Financial Times Business of Football Summit.<\/p>\n “People say he’s a millionaire – yes, he is. But it doesn’t give you an extra lung or an extra leg. I want to see Cole Palmer on the pitch because he’s the one who makes me dream.”<\/p>\n Three years without a summer off resulted in 112 games for club and country, with the addition of Club World Cup fixtures for Chelsea<\/a>, the European Championship with England and the Under\u201121 European Championship before that.<\/p>\n Those managing him did not consider it a coincidence that as demands on Palmer increased, his fitness suffered. The forward began struggling with a painful, recurring groin issue at the end of last season. <\/p>\n He had only partially recovered by December, returning after more than six weeks out, and Chelsea<\/a>‘s medical team continue to monitor him closely.<\/p>\n Asked by BBC Sport about Palmer’s display following the 2\u20131 defeat<\/a> away at Arsenal<\/a>, Rosenior said: “He played 83 minutes. That was tactical. <\/p>\n “When I took him and Enzo [Fernandez] off, they were both on yellow cards and I wanted Garna [Alejandro Garnacho] and Liam [Delap] to come on and give us freshness, which I felt they did. He’s absolutely fine to start the game [against Aston Villa<\/a>] on Wednesday.”<\/p>\n