Cole Palmer returned to Cobham on Thursday after his absence in the midweek capitulation to Arsenal underlined how vital he is to Chelsea. 

The 21-year-old trained with team-mates after overcoming an illness which sidelined him, with a trip to Aston Villa to follow on Saturday as the Blues look to kickstart a late push for a European place. 

Manager Mauricio Pochettino had urged his players to show they are not ‘Cole Palmer Football Club’ ahead of facing Arsenal but that backfired as they were beaten 5-0. 

Palmer has been Chelsea’s main source of goals this season, scoring 20 in the Premier League since signing for £42.5million from Manchester City in the summer.

Pochettino will reveal more on Palmer’s fitness when he conducts his pre-match press conference on Friday.

Cole Palmer (left) returned to training on Thursday after missing Chelsea's 5-0 thrashing by Arsenal

Palmer's return is a welcome boost for Mauricio Pochettino after he watched his side capitulate at the Emirates

Chelsea fell apart in the second half after Pochettino urged them to prove they are not 'Cole Palmer Football Club'

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