Cole Palmer and Reece James injury update after missing Charlton vs Chelsea | Football

New Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior eased injury fears over Cole Palmer, Reece James and Malo Gusto after they missed the FA Cup win at Charlton.

Rosenior enjoyed an excellent first game in charge of the Blues, beating the Championship side 5-1 at The Valley.

Jorrel Hato opened the scoring just before the break, before TosinAdarabioyo, Marc Guiu, Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez all got on the scoresheet.

Chelsea have boasted such a strong bench that Rosenior was able to bring on the likes of Neto, Fernandez, Estevao and Liam Delap, while James, Palmer and Gusto were not even in the squad.

There were fears over the fitness of the trio, but the new manager says they were just managing small issues and were being rested amid a busy schedule.

Next up for Chelsea is the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-finals, at home against Arsenal.

‘Malo, Cole and Reece were precautionary today,’ Rosenior told a post-match press conference.

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‘I don’t want to take any risks at this stage of the season. They had minor tweaks or knocks from the Fulham game. And I feel like I’ve got such a good squad here, I don’t need to risk their health at the moment.

‘We have a huge game on Wednesday. We have a huge game on Saturday [against Brentford]. And I’ll check the medical reports tonight and tomorrow morning and see how they are then.’

Rosenior sounded delighted with the efforts of his players in a rousing win to book a spot in the fourth round of the FA Cup.

‘I was very happy with the attitude of the team, even in the first-half. This is not an easy place to come, third round of the FA Cup,’ he said.

‘I felt our press was very intense and really good. I felt we controlled the game, created a couple of chances from outside the box. The goal came at a really good time. It was a fantastic finish from Hato.

‘The game opens up second-half, and I felt some of the passages of play, we know we have outstanding players. I was able to bring on some outstanding players from the bench. But I have to say I was delighted with the starting XI. I was delighted with the front three. I felt Ale [Garnacho] kept going in his one-v-ones.

‘Marc Guiu was magnificent, deserved his goal. Jamie [Gittens] looked like he was going at the defenders. He looked like he could create in a lot of moments. So a lot of real positives and a good start.’

‘My idea of football is not important. It’s about winning games’

Rosenior was asked how close his team is to his idea of how he wants to play, but focussed the attention on results rather than philosophy.

‘I’m one game in. Some of our passes you play were beautiful to watch. I think everybody can say that,’ he said. ‘We’ve got magnificent players.

‘My idea of football is not important. It’s about winning games of football consistently. It’s a good start. It’s just the start and we have to stay consistent now in a very, very hectic schedule.’

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