Cole Palmer one of three big names left OUT of Chelsea’s Uefa Conference League squad

COLE PALMER could miss out on a possible European trophy this season because of the workload facing young stars.

Chelsea have taken the dramatic step to leave their best player out of their squad for this season’s Uefa Conference League in order to rest him.

Injury-jinxed midfielder Romeo Lavia and centre back Wesley Fofana have also been left out of the 27-strong group to contest the third-tier competition.

Palmer, 22, featured in both legs of the play-off round against Swiss side FC Servette – coming off the bench in the second half both times.

But he will not play in the league stage which comprises six games up to December before the knockout rounds begin next year.

Palmer has withdrawn from the latest England squad due to ongoing issues – believed to be a relatively minor hamstring problem.

Chelsea played their first game of the season on August 18 but will be competing in next summer’s expanded Club World Cup in America.

It runs from June 15 to July 13 and features 32 teams, including Premier League champions Manchester City.

The Europa Conference League final takes place on May 25 in Poland.

Chelsea are concerned at the number of games which could be heaped upon their rising star who played a key role in England’s run to the final of Euro 2024 in the summer.

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The club took the decision to leave him out of the Conference League squad because of ‘load management’ as they enter the second month of a season which sees them competing in the Premier League, Carabao Cup, FA Cup, Conference League and Club World Cup.

Palmer has just been shortlisted for this year’s Ballon D’Or award as a reward for his rapid rise following a £40m move from Manchester City to Chelsea last summer.

Fofana missed the whole of last season with a knee injury, while Lavia has suffered with a series of fitness issues since joining Chelsea last summer for £53 million.

There could still be a chance for Lavia, Palmer and Fofana to play in the Conference League this season though.

That’s because Chelsea are able to add three more players to their squad following the initial league phase of the tournament.

So should the London club advance into the latter stages then Maresca may then call the big name trio up to the squad.

The Stamford Bridge outfit will play Gent, Panathinaikos, FC Noah, Heidenheim, FC Astana and Shamrock Rovers during the league phase of the competition.

Their clash with Panathinaikos next month is sandwiched between Premier League games against Liverpool and Newcastle, while their FC Noah match will be in-between battles with Arsenal and Man Utd.

That busy schedule of tough head-to-heads represents one example for why Maresca has excluded some of his best talents.

Chelsea will still have plenty of options for the Conference league with stars such as Christopher Nkunku, Enzo Fernandez, Noni Madueke and new arrival Jadon Sancho all included in the 27-strong squad.

Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk