Palmer was close to being fully fit after suffering a groin injury in September but suffered a fractured toe in a freak accident at home last week.
The 23-year-old has since been ruled out of Tuesday’s Champions League clash with Barcelona and Arsenal’s trip to Stamford Bridge, but Maresca was upbeat about Palmer’s prognosis after the club created a specially adapted boot for his left foot to aid his recovery.
“We don’t know when, but certainly it will be soon,” Maresca said at a news conference on Monday. “He’s already on the pitch, he’s already touching the ball and it’s a good feeling.
“We are here for tomorrow’s game, the Champions League, and then we will start thinking about Arsenal.”
Asked if Palmer could play against the Gunners, Maresca replied: “I don’t think so at the moment.”
Estevao is one of the players in contention to play against Barcelona in Palmer’s absence.
The Brazilian teenager has drawn comparisons to Spain winger Lamine Yamal following an impressive start to his career at Chelsea, but Maresca is keen to downplay any similarities.
“He’s definitely going to be an important player for this club, there’s no doubt about that,” Maresca said.
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“The most important thing for Estevao is that he has to enjoy everything, he has to be happy, and not think about being better than this player or any other player, but only to think about himself and try to be better than himself day by day, try to work hard, improve and of course he is going to be a top player for this club.
“Estevao is already playing at a high level in the starting eleven with Brazil. Of course, he is very young, of course, he can do many things better, but we are very happy with him.
“Now, for me, it’s more or less the same thing I said about Pedri, for people who love football it’s good to see players like Estevao, Lamine Yamal, Pedri – that’s the beauty of football. We are happy that Estevao is with us and for sure he will do well.”
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