Last season was Cole Palmer’s first as a regular at the top level, and it ended up being a marathon effort.
After signing for Chelsea a year ago, the youngster was quickly established as a first team starter, and played pretty relentlessly from then until the end of the season. Then came England duty, which meant more minutes in his legs and even less holiday and rest.
Considering how few senior appearances he had made before that, it was a massive acceleration physically for Palmer, and it looks like he could now be paying the price a little.
The attacker has just pulled out of England’s squad for the upcoming Nations League games against Ireland and Finland during this international break. He went and was assessed by the national team’s physios, and was then released back to Chelsea.
Talksport are reporting that Palmer has struggled with injury issues – we’re not sure what they’re hearing. He certainly seemed to limp off after the first leg against Servette, and hasn’t looked fully sharp. If this is going to be a chronic issue, we hope manager Enzo Maresca is asked for more information before our next game.
Palmer knows England spot secured
It’s also a sign of how confident Palmer must be about his future as and England player. He knows he’s shown what he can do, and can afford to take a break from the national team without worrying about the competition stealing a march on him.
He impressed at the Euros, he’s been brilliant for Chelsea, and he knows Lee Carsley from the youth setup. His place is waiting for him as soon as he’s ready.
From Chelsea’s point of view, we just want him to get healthy as soon as possible. We’ve got good alternatives in the squad and must use Palmer’s sparingly.