Cole Palmer, Reece James and Malo Gusto were left out of Chelsea’s squad at Charlton as a precaution after picking up knocks, Liam Rosenior has confirmed.
The trio were not involved at the match at the Valley on Saturday night when the Blues won 5-1 to reach the FA Cup fourth round and begin Rosenior’s tenure with victory.
Palmer, James and Gusto all started at Craven Cottage on Wednesday night as Chelsea fell to a 2-1 defeat under Calum McFarlane's caretaker charge.
Speaking after the game, the new head coach explained why they had not been involved in the match.
“Malo, Cole and Reece were precautionary today,” Rosenior explained.
“I don't want to take any risks at this stage of the season. They had minor tweaks or knocks from the Fulham game. And I feel like I've got such a good squad here, I don't need to risk their health at the moment.
“We have a huge game on Wednesday [against Arsenal in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg]. We have a huge game on Saturday [against Brentford].
“And I'll check the medical reports tonight and tomorrow morning and see how they are then.”
