Chelsea were without Cole Palmer, Reece James, Malo Gusto, Liam Delap and Jamie Gittens for Wednesday’s clash against Arsenal and Liam Rosenior has provided the latest on his squad
Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior is hopeful some of his players will return for the weekend clash against Brentford (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)(Image: )
Liam Rosenior is hopeful Cole Palmer and Reece James will be in the Chelsea squad for the weekend clash against Brentford as a virus wreaks havoc at the west London club.
Both Palmer and James missed the FA Cup win at Charlton Athletic on Saturday and were also not included in the squad to face Arsenal in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg on Wednesday. Rosenior previously confirmed Palmer was suffering with a “minor strain in his thigh”, while the Chelsea captain “had a big knock on his hip”
Speaking to the media on Thursday, Rosenior said he was hopeful both will be available to face the Bees at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. He said: “Yeah, both of them are training today, so we just need to assess them after training, make sure that they come through all of the protocols they need to come through. It would be great to have them back in the squad. At the moment, it looks like they could be.”
Liam Delap and Jamie Gittens were forced to sit out the 3-2 defeat to Arsenal due to illness and the club are now trying to contain a virus, which has also struck down members of the coaching staff.
“[Delap is] still at home at the moment recovering, as is Jamie Gittens,” Rosenior said. “Our club doctors are doing everything they can to contain what looks to be a virus because some members of our staff have come down with it as well.
“Had a meeting today with the players about washing your hands, the basics, which is really important and hopefully we can contain it. We have a busy period, so we need everyone ready to go and fit and healthy.”
Malo Gusto also missed the clash against Arsenal but a timeframe for the defender’s return is not known. Rosenior, meanwhile, revealed Romeo Lavia is training individually on the grass as the midfielder continues to recover from a muscle injury. The 22-year-old has not featured since limping off after eight minutes against Qarabag in the Champions League on November 5.
“Romeo’s on the pitch. He’s not with the group, but seeing him out on the pitch doing his rehab, he’s looking really, really good,” Rosenior said.
“I think we all know, I know, I love him firstly as a lad, as a player. He’s someone I would love to work with in the long term because he’s just an outstanding footballer.
“The most important thing for him now is to make sure we don’t push him too hard so that when he does come back, he’s back for good and I can get some real work into him tactically. But for me, he’s a player that I can’t wait to have back in the group at the same time, and I’m really, really looking forward to having him back with us.”