The new Italy under Roberto Mancini officially got up and running with the head coach's unveiling press conference at Coverciano. The call-up list includes several absentees, some of them late withdrawals such as Federico Dimarco, but one of the most talked-about omissions was Marco Palestra, who is still injured. The former Cagliari wide player was one of the biggest talking points of the summer, but his adventure in a Chelsea shirt is struggling to take off.
The summer transfer
Back at Atalanta after a year on loan at Cagliari, Palestra had been Inter's main target for more than a month of the transfer window, with the club making no secret of the talks or their interest.
In the end, though, Chelsea swooped late with a vastly improved bid and landed the 2005-born player for a total fee of €60 million including bonuses and a six-year contract worth €5 million net per season.
Big hype and anticipation
The fee involved, Inter's disappointment and the story of another Italian in the Premier League inevitably sent the hype and expectation around the right-back soaring and, from the very start under Xabi Alonso, he showed in the summer friendlies that he was up to what the Spanish manager was asking of him. Strong displays against Tottenham, AC Milan and Juventus suggested he was set to start the season as an undisputed first choice.
The injury
Everything was set for the official debut against Fulham on 24 August, but a few days before kick-off the injury struck. Chelsea initially thought it was only supposed to be a slight muscular strain but since then Palestra has kept pushing back the date of an official debut that has never come.
Still in the pits
Although the Blues have not confirmed an injury, manager Xabi Alonso made it clear in a press conference that the Italian's lay-off is serious.
Speaking before the Carabao Cup game against Luton Town, the Spanish manager underlined that "For Palestra, we may perhaps have to look into the matter a little further".
Ready after the break
Tests confirmed the injury, ruling him out for the whole of September. Chelsea have played seven official matches and Palestra has featured in none of them.
"The injury concerns the quadriceps. He is almost in the final phase of his recovery," Xabi Alonso said a few days ago. After missing the game against Brentford, he is now targeting the match against Bournemouth after the international break.
ENJOYED THIS STORY?
Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting