Chelsea forward Cole Palmer is said to have broken his toe while playing popular video game EA FC, formerly known as FIFA.
The England international hasn't played for the Blues since September, after being brought off against Manchester United in their 2-1 defeat at Old Trafford.
Cole Palmer suffers freak injury when playing FIFA
With a hectic schedule approaching, Palmer's absence has been covered for relatively well given the recent form of fellow forwards Estevao and Alejandro Garnacho.
But when asked why his No.10 had not been seen in and around training as of late, Maresca revealed Palmer is set for another spell on the sidelines.
"He is probably not available for Saturday for sure, Barcelona for sure, or Arsenal for sure," he began. "Unfortunately, he had an accident at home where he hit his toe.
"It is nothing important, but he won't be back in the next week. I wake up many times during the night - I hit my head, my legs, my everything - so it can happen."
But ahead of a crucial clash against Barcelona this week, the former Leicester boss provided a more positive update on the Three Lions international.
"Yes, Cole is wearing a [protective] boot. We dont know when he will be back but for sure it will be soon. Hes already on the pitch, hes already touching the ball and the feeling [for him] is good," said Maresca.
"At the moment, we are only looking at tomorrows game. Its a Champions League game against Barcelona, that is our focus and then we will look ahead to Arsenal. I dont think he will be available for these two games, but he is doing well."
Marc Cucurella on how Cole Palmer injured his toe: "To be fair, I don't know. He's running because I think he lost a FIFA game or something like this. I think!" pic.twitter.com/oHn8yoAw6nNovember 24, 2025
Fellow Chelsea team-mate Marc Cucurella also couldn't hide his laughter when he was quizzed on the former Manchester City man's latest setback.
"To be fair, I don't believe it. It is true that these things can sometimes happen. I have had this a couple of times but I'm stronger than them, so I don't feel anything. It's a big upset for us because he's getting closer to playing with us, to train with us, and then now he needs to rest. But this is part of life, a part of footballers' lives, we have personal lives, and we have these kinds of problems, so hopefully he can recover fast."
When asked what Palmer was doing, Cucurella replied: "I don't know. He's running because I think he lost a FIFA game or something like this, I think!"
