Cole Palmer has told Thomas Tuchel he could have offered ‘something different’ as he opened up for the first time about missing out on England’s World Cup squad.
The Chelsea star, 23, was one of a number of high-profile omissions from the 26-man Three Lions side bidding to end 60 years of hurt in North America this summer.
Despite scoring in the final of Euro 2024, he missed out after enduring an injury-hit and underwhelming Premier League campaign, with Tuchel also accusing the attacking midfielder of failing to impact games when picked for his country.
As England gear up for their highly-anticipated tie with Mexico in the quarter-finals, Palmer has now spoken on the disappointment of watching the tournament from afar, admitting he ‘wishes’ he was with the squad at their Kansas City base.
‘Every player that plays football wants to be at the World Cup,’ Palmer told The Times. ‘But it’s a decision that I cannot change and a hard one, for whatever reason. But I’m just trying to enjoy the summer off – the first summer I’ve ever had off.’
The ex-Man City midfielder has been spotted enjoying the off-season on trips abroad, and was pictured partying at Wayne Lineker’s O Beach in Ibiza earlier this summer.
Cole Palmer has opened up for the first time on the disappointment of missing out on England’s World Cup squad
The Chelsea star has spent his summer abroad, and was pictured partying with Wayne Lineker at O Beach
But, for thousands of England supporters, Palmer should be spending June and July helping England on their campaign across the pond.
Tuchel instead opted to include Marcus Rashford, Anthony Gordon, Noni Madueke and Bukayo Saka in his squad, a quartet boasting pace and power in abundance.
Palmer however, a tricky, technical forward, insists that he could have offered the Three Lions a new dimension.
Asked whether he’s heard the support from fans, Palmer said: ‘Yeah, of course, it’s nice, but I’m not there. I know what I could have offered – something different to what the manager has picked. But like I said before, I can’t change the decision and I wish everyone the best.
‘It’s like anything. If you’re told you’re essentially not good enough then you’re going to want to prove people wrong.’
Palmer, alongside Phil Foden and Harry Maguire, was one of a number of exclusions made by Tuchel which raised eyebrows.
Explaining his decision at the time, the England manager said: ‘I think he (Palmer) suffers from a lack of individual form within the club.
‘He was not as decisive or as influential as he was in the last seasons, throughout the whole season. Second of all, he was not very influential with us. His record with us was just not outstanding, not good enough to make him ‘no matter what, he is coming.
Thomas Tuchel accused Palmer of failing to influence games when picked for England
‘That is just the reality of it. He had to pull out injured several times, when he was in camp he did not have the impact that we all wanted to push him for.’
After finishing top of Group J and coming from behind to beat DR Congo on Wednesday, England are gearing up for a mouth-watering clash with Mexico at the Azteca Stadium.
The game was initially scheduled to kick-off at 1am BST on Monday, though both teams were today rocked by the news that the start time could be brought forward due to thunderstorms.
FIFA are understood to still be in discussions over the kick-off time, which is rumoured to change to 7pm on Sunday night. That would mean that England would get their quarter-final underway in swelteringly hot heats at 12am local time in Mexico City.
Asked how the schedule change could impact England’s chances of going through, midfielder Morgan Rogers said: ‘It’s just another obstacle to overcome. We’ll take it how it is.
‘Whatever the task is in front of us, whatever problem we face or different thing that we think might be a bit difficult, we’re just going to attack full front.’
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