Look who's back! Cole Palmer returns to Chelsea training - with a specially-adapted boot for his broken toe - 24 hours before they face Barcelona, as Enzo Maresca delivers fitness update

Cole Palmer is already training outside and on the grass despite breaking his little toe less than a week ago.

While Enzo Maresca admitted he would be surprised if Palmer is able to play Arsenal in this Sunday's showdown with the Premier League leaders, Chelsea's head coach did not entirely rule out the prospect.

The 23-year-old England international is set to miss tomorrow night's Champions League clash with Barcelona in the meantime.

Palmer is wearing a specially-modified boot on his left foot to help aid his recovery after stubbing his toe on a door at home and that is allowing him to train now, with a view to joining the team sessions soon.

Maresca said: 'He's already on the pitch, he's already touching the ball, so I think it's good. We are here for tomorrow's game, that is the Champions League game, and then after that tomorrow, we start to think about Arsenal.

'The last time I spoke to Cole was yesterday, just after the session, to ask how he was feeling. Again, it was a good feeling, but I didn't ask him details about the injury at all.'

Barcelona then Arsenal represents a seismic week for Chelsea with Maresca saying: 'It's a big week, but at the end of this week, then we have Leeds away, Bournemouth away, Atalanta away, so it's another big one. It's always a big week. They are all important games.'

Maresca was asked whether he would someday like to manage in Spain and perhaps even Barcelona, to which he replied: 'You know me because you are always in my press conferences. Even when you ask me what's happening in three, four months, I always say, "I don't know". 

'In this moment, I'm very happy to be at this huge club, against one of the best clubs in the world, and this is the most important thing.'

Maresca also revealed how Pep Guardiola's old Barca side helped convince him to go into coaching, explaining: 'I decided to be a manager because of a Pep team, Barcelona, years ago. I've said many times: any team can decide the way they want to play.

'I chose mine years ago and this will be the way I like to watch my team playing football and in the future. I don't think no one can be compared to that Barcelona, to Pep, because I think they changed football in Spain, where every club was trying to play in that way.

'Then Pep moved to Germany, and everyone was trying to play that way in Germany. Pep came to England and many clubs tried to do something similar.'