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Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park (kick-off 14:00 GMT).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
- Rosenior confirmed that players who have been struggling with a virus are "coming back" but they have had to be very careful as some have been "very ill", including Estevao and Jamie Gittens.
- He added Cole Palmer had trained and was "in a good place", goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen's scan was "positive" and he could return for next week's Napoli game, however, midfielder Dario Essugo picked up an "unfortunate" injury in training after slipping and will be "out for a while".
- On if they are light in midfield and whether they need to address this: "Romeo [Lavia] is on the way back, which is great because I think he's outstanding. He's a very, very good player at a very high level. But in terms of my midfield options, you've got Enzo [Fernandez], Moi [Caicedo], Andrey Santos, Reece James – it's not bad. I don't want to bring in players that don't enhance the group or the chemistry we're building."
- After reports linking Cole Palmer with a move away from Chelsea, Rosenior said he's had "numerous conversations" with the forward and he "seems very, very happy to be here", adding: "He's a huge part of our plans in the long term. He's an outstanding player. Every player goes through difficult moments in their careers in terms of injury. I don't think it's any reflection on his quality."
- He continued: "My job and the club's job is to get him in a place where he can consistently perform at the level that he wants to. There was frustration in the Brentford game, not because he wasn’t happy here, just because he couldn’t perform. He was in pain, he couldn’t perform at a level we want for the club.”
- There is "nothing new to report" on the futures of Axel Disasi and Raheem Sterling, but the Blues boss wants "every player I work with to have the best career possible. Whether that's moving, whether that's here, you want to find the right solution for every player and those two are no different".
- Rosenior feels it would be "crazy" to come in mid-season and change everything: "I'm flexible, but at the moment it's about what's best for the group and what they're used to because there is literally no training time. We are playing, recovering and playing again. And it will be like that for the next two or three months."
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