Chelsea axed Rosenior shortly after his prediction about Man Utd target Palmer

When Rosenior took over in January, Chelsea occupied eighth place in the Premier League, and advancement was limited, as they rose just one spot in the standings. The former Strasbourg boss suffered defeat in 10 of his 23 fixtures at the helm, leaving the Blues in genuine jeopardy of failing to secure Champions League qualification.

Sunday's FA Cup semi-final against Leeds United now represents their final chance to preserve their trophy aspirations. Throughout this challenging spell, Rosenior repeatedly expressed his determination to extract the finest from Palmer, whose displays have declined this campaign amid ongoing fitness issues.

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Speaking to Sky Sports, Rosenior displayed conviction that Palmer would reverse his fortunes. "You give him confidence, you point out the things he's doing well, you point out the things that are very, very positive in his game," he said.

"In terms of chance creation, I've gone through the stats: the chances he's created in our difficult times was very, very high. We just didn't take the chances that he created. I've showed him that.

"You can over-analyse at times but that's not what I want Cole to do. Cole's an intuitive player. He needs to be free to express himself to the best of his ability."

Rosenior added: "How we have tried to manage Cole before this period is... There were question marks about why he was coming off, why he wasn't starting games. We wanted him fresh for this period and so far he looks really, really good for that."

Sky broadcasts more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more with at least 215 live from the top flight alongside Formula 1, darts and golf.

The new head coach now faces a considerable test in getting the best out of the England international, who remains one of the Premier League's most outstanding talents when firing on all cylinders.

Precisely how much of his dip in form this season can be attributed to the persistent groin problem he has been carrying for months is hard to gauge. Nevertheless, Palmer has attracted interest, most notably from United, yet the winger has made it abundantly clear that his time at Stamford Bridge is far from over.

"I've got no plans to move from Chelsea," Palmer told The Guardian. "We've still got a lot to play for. We've got the FA Cup semi-final [against Leeds] and if we finish in a Champions League spot it puts us in a good position to sign players that we need.

"We spoke to the owners and they're sure of the players that are gonna do it. Reece won't sign a six-year contract if he's not spoken to the owners and the directors. Me and Reece spoke a lot.

"About things we need, players we need to sign and how things need to be. He wouldn't sign a new contract if he didn't know what was going on." What is plainly evident, however, is that Chelsea need Palmer performing at the peak of his powers next season.