Chelsea: Xabi Alonso reveals advice he gave Marco Palestra amid injury frustration

Xabi Alonso has told Marco Palestra to be patient as he closes in on a return from the quad injury which has delayed his competitive debut.

Palestra signed for Chelsea from Atalanta this summer and impressed in pre-season, both in the tour of south-east Asia and on return to west London, but suffered an injury in training ahead of the club’s Premier League opener away at Fulham.

He said: “The injury is something on the quad. He's almost in the last stages of the recovery, so we will see. If [he is] not [fit for] Brentford, then Bournemouth for sure.”

He continued, explaining Palestra had been left disappointed by the speed of his recovery, which has now kept him from playing competitive football for Chelsea for three weeks.

Alonso went on: “He's quite frustrated after a very good pre-season not to be able to play and to make his debut in the Premier League.

“But I told Marco, ‘Easy, the season is long, there will be a lot of games, and you will play your role, you will have your minutes, you will enjoy your game.’

“He is full of energy, and you need to control that.”

Chelsea have already been guilty of rushing players back from injury this season. Moises Caicedo was another who picked up an injury in the latter stages of pre-season, missing the first two matches of the campaign before coming off the bench against Brighton last time out in the Premier League.

He lasted just 14 minutes before being forced off again, though, and Alonso has committed to taking a more cautious approach to recovery from here on out.