Owen Hargreaves backs Chelsea’s Christopher Nkunku to fill in for Cole Palmer during Conference League

Cole Palmer was not included in Chelsea’s Conference League squad (Picture: Getty)

Owen Hargreaves has backed Christopher Nkunku to step up and fill the void left by Cole Palmer as Chelsea prepare to begin their Conference League campaign without their marquee talisman.

After a phenomenal maiden campaign at Stamford Bridge, which saw him notch up 22 goals and 11 assists in the Premier League alone, Palmer has continued his superb form under new boss Enzo Maresca.

A record-breaking four-goal haul against Brighton last weekend meant the Englishman already has ten goal contributions in just six league games this season.

His exploits have left pundits like Gary Neville in awe, while Maresca even declared that the 22-year-old may already be the ‘best player in the Premier League’.

However, as Chelsea prepare to kickstart their European campaign on Thursday, the Blues will have to look elsewhere for attacking firepower given they decided to rest Palmer and leave him out of their 27-man squad for the Conference League.

After another summer of exorbitant spending, Maresca is blessed with a deluge of attacking talents, but Hargreaves believes the Italian should place his trust in Nkunku who is ready to prove his worth after an injury-affected first season at the club.

Having started the first game of the season, Nkunku has been displaced in the starting XI by deadline-day signing Jadon Sancho, but a hat-trick against Barrow in the Carabao Cup means the 26-year-old already has six goals in all competitions so far this season.

Christopher Nkunku has been backed to replace Cole Palmer in the Conference League (Picture: Getty)

‘I think Nkunku could be the guy to replace Palmer, you know,’ Hargreaves told Metro.co.uk ahead of the Conference League’s return on TNT Sports.

‘I know he has had his fitness issues, but he’s such a complete player – he’s a good finisher and technically very good.

‘They’ve got so many technical players at the top of the pitch that that they’ll be fine but I think Nkunku could be the one to make a difference in Palmer’s absence.’

Despite that, Hargreaves found it difficult to understand the rationale behind dropping Palmer for the six-game league phase.

‘It’s hard to kind of understand what they’re thinking because you’re not there but I think everybody else will be looking in and thinking, “Really?”‘ the former Manchester United midfielder said.

‘Players want to play. What are they going to do when the lads are playing – are they going to go train? You’d rather play a game than train. Again, we’re not privy to the conversations but I’m surprised by it because I think the best players play every three days.

‘When ou think back to the great Barcelona, United and Chelsea sides, the 10 best guys played every three games. All of a sudden now we have to save it for Saturday. I just think guys want to play.’

‘Chelsea are the favourites – but it’s never straightforward’

Enzo Maresca is preparing for his first European fixture as head coach (Picture: Getty)

Having already won the Champions League and Europa League, Chelsea could become the first club to accrue all three European club trophies with success this season.

The Premier League side go into the competition as heavy favourites given their squad depth and financial might, but Hargreaves warned the club must guard against complacency if they are to avoid falling foul to a shock upset.

‘They should be favourites – the money they spent on players is probably the same as all the other teams combined,’ he added.

‘But we know football doesn’t work like that and it’s always dangerous when you’re a big favourite. You’ll always get surprises and clubs will catch them out if they are not focused.

‘In some ways, it’s easy playing the Champions League because you know every player and every team. You play in some of these other competitions and you come up against new guys and new teams – often they are the ones who humble you the most.

‘I think Chelsea will understand that but it’s not going to be straightforward. It never is as the favourite, that’s for sure. If they don’t show up, people are going to let them know.’

For more stories like this, check our sport page.

Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.