Liam Rosenior sends Cole Palmer update over Chelsea future amid Man Utd links
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Liam Rosenior has responded to surprising rumours claiming Blues key midfielder Cole Palmer could leave Chelsea for Manchester United in the summer.
These rumours started with an opinion piece in the Daily Express, before being picked up by other outlets as "transfer reports".
This opinion piece cites another report from The Sun claiming that Palmer is feeling homesick and speculates that Manchester United could be one of the midfielder's future destinations if he were to leave Chelsea.
Of course, despite how ridiculous these speculations are, they still came up during Rosenior's press conference on Friday.
"I've had numerous conversations with Cole and he seems very, very happy to be here," Rosenor said when asked about the rumours linking Palmer with Manchester United.
"He is very, very happy to be here. He's a huge part of our plans in the long term. He's an outstanding player.
"Every player goes through difficult moments in their careers in terms of injury. I don't think it's any reflection on his qualities. "
Rosenior admitted that Palmer has felt some frustration recently, but insisted that it had nothing to do with his future at the club, but rather his own performance amid fitness issues.
"He's an outstanding footballer. But my job and the club's job is to get him in a place where he can consistently perform at the level that he wants to," he explained.
"And there was frustration in the Brentford game, not because he wasn't happy here, just because he couldn't perform. He was in pain. He couldn't perform to the level he wanted to for the club.
"He's a great kid, and he's an outstanding player, but we have to make sure that we look after him in the right way. That's why I didn't involve him in the last game."
On a more positive note, the Chelsea fans get some clarification regarding Palmer's apparent frustrations on the pitch, thanks to these silly rumours.
It is understandable for Palmer, who was Chelsea's best player last season, to be infuriated by his fitness problems this season.
Not only has he been left out of the Chelsea squad a lot since his return, but his injuries likely affect his chances of making the England squad in the upcoming World Cup as well.
Gerry Crisandy is a freelance writer who has covered Chelsea for many years. His work has been published on The Chelsea Chronicle and Pride of London. He grew up idolising Michael Ballack and is a firm believer in expected goals.