Alonso gives update on Hato and responds to Palmer being overlooked by Tuchel

Alonso confirmed Hato will miss several more weeks with injury and defended Palmer after his latest England omission by Tuchel.

Xabi Alonso provided a fitness update ahead of Chelsea's Sunday match against Sunderland. Emiliano Martínez has returned to training, though it remains unclear if Mike Penders will drop to the bench. Moisés Caicedo is a doubt pending Saturday's training session.

Alonso ruled out Maxence Lacroix, João Pedro and Jorrel Hato. On the Dutch defender, Alonso said: "He is not yet fit. It will take a few more weeks. He is not fully recovered, maybe after the international break, but it will take a while." He added that a fuller update on Hato and other injured players will come after the two-week international break, ahead of the Leeds United fixture.

When asked about Cole Palmer's continued omission from England's squad under Thomas Tuchel, Alonso declined to discuss it directly. "We are very happy with Cole. He enjoys the game, he performs well and he helps the team. We are focused on how he can take Chelsea further. That is all we think about."