Chelsea midfielder Cole Palmer will be sidelined for another six weeks, manager Enzo Maresca confirmed on Friday.

The England international has not featured since September 20, when he was forced off midway through the first half of Chelsea’s 2-1 defeat to Manchester United.

Maresca had initially expressed optimism that the 23-year-old would return after this month’s international break but admitted his recovery will take longer than expected.

“I was wrong. Unfortunately, he needs to be out for probably six more weeks. So, yes, this is the update,” the Italian said.

The Chelsea boss, however, stated that Palmer would not require surgery, assuring that the club’s medical staff were taking every precaution to ensure a full recovery.

“We try just to protect Cole as much as we can, and the most important thing is that when he comes back, he’s fully recovered,” Maresca added.

Ahead of Chelsea’s clash with Nottingham Forest on Saturday, Maresca acknowledged that replacing Palmer — who has been one of the Premier League’s standout performers — will be a tough challenge.

“For sure, we need to find a different solution, we need to find different skills, because we don’t have another player like Cole,” he said. “Because Cole is unique.”