Enzo Maresca tells Cole Palmer how to take 'the next step' in becoming one of the 'best players in the world' as Chelsea prepare for Man Utd showdown

Palmer has been urged to embrace new challenges if he is to ascend to the elites of world football. Since his transfer from Manchester City, Palmer has taken Chelsea by storm. His debut season exceeded expectations, culminating in prestigious recognitions as both the Men’s PFA Young Player of the Year and the Premier League Young Player of the Season were taken home.

Palmer is showing that he was not a one-season wonder as he continues to deliver the goods for the Blues in the current campaign. He already has seven goals and five assists to his name across nine Premier League appearances. His recent contributions include a critical goal that sealed Chelsea’s 2-1 victory over Newcastle United at Stamford Bridge and the 22-year-old will hope to replicate his heroics against the Red Devils on Sunday evening.

In their last encounter with United at Stamford Bridge in April, Palmer lit up the game with a hat-trick, leading Chelsea to a thrilling 4-3 win. However, this time the challenge would be even tougher as defenders are paying more attention to Palmer and Maresca insisted that the young Englishman must adapt his game to this new level of scrutiny.

"The next step for Cole is not to get frustrated when teams mark him man to man because all of the best players in the world are marked man to man," Maresca said.

"After last season, for him it was the first season in terms of arriving at Chelsea, probably it was the opposite - they weren’t too worried about marking Cole. This year, they are now worried because of last year so he has to get used to it. The next step is going to be more difficult but he can do it."

As the clash with United looms, the spotlight will inevitably fall on Palmer, who has already shown he can thrive in high-stakes encounters. With guidance from Maresca and support from his team-mates, Palmer’s journey to becoming one of the world’s best players is well underway.