Bad news for Chelsea? Cole Palmer sent home from England U21s with injury as coach admits he could miss Arsenal clash

• Palmer suffered dead leg vs Serbia
• Sent home as precaution
• Hopes to be fit for Arsenal clash

WHAT HAPPENED? Palmer captained England's U21s as they demolished Serbia 9-1 at Nottingham Forest's City Ground on Thursday evening. But Palmer was withdrawn early in the second half with a thigh injury and has now been ruled out of the Young Lions' trip to Slovakia where they face Ukraine on Monday.

WHAT THEY SAID: “I think Cole would be fine," said England u21 boss Lee Carsley. "But we don’t take any chances with any of the players. If there is a slight doubt that they’re going to miss a game at the weekend, we get them back to the clubs as quickly as we can. We could’ve kept Cole here another day and see how it was, but we didn’t think it was right."

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Chelsea will be hoping Carsley's judgement proves correct. The Blues' squad has been decimated by injuries this season and they'll be keen to avoid further setbacks just as key players were returning.

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WHAT NEXT FOR CHELSEA? Chelsea's medical staff will assess Palmer and hope that he can recover in time for Arsenal's visit to Stamford Bridge next Sunday.