Morgan Rogers has described any suggestion that Cole Palmer is not committed to England as “a lie” and “nonsense”. Rogers scored the opener in Wednesday’s 2-1 UEFA Nations League win over Croatia, while Harry Kane added a penalty in his record-breaking 126th appearance for the men’s side.
Rogers, a Chelsea team-mate and childhood friend of Palmer, was asked about the criticism of Palmer after the win at Wembley. Palmer had been left out of the squad after manager Thomas Tuchel said he “misses too many chances to impress”.
Speaking on radio, Rogers, also 24, said: “He wants to be here. He wanted to get called up and he wanted to come and represent his country as he always has done.”
He added: “He was in quite a low place with his injuries last year and didn’t feel 100% himself on the pitch, so he wants to be here and he wants to be the best version of himself. But he also has to look at his body. He wants to play for 10 or 15 years, he also has to manage himself. If he has to manage himself in the short term for the greater good then he has to do that and you have to fully support it.”
Rogers was adamant that Palmer’s absence has nothing to do with his commitment to England. “It has nothing to do with England or not wanting to play with England. It’s a nonsense really that people are questioning someone that wants to play for England. It’s a lie,” he said. “You see the joy and smile on his face, how much he loves the game, so I honestly don’t get it and he doesn’t get it.”
Struggles under Tuchel
In the three years since his England debut, Palmer has won 14 caps, scoring two goals and providing one assist. One of those goals came in the Euro 2024 final defeat by Spain. That return is modest given that he has scored 50 Premier League goals with 24 assists over the same period.
Palmer was named England’s men’s player of the year for the 2023-24 season after a run of impressive form, including his strike against Spain in Berlin. Since Tuchel succeeded Gareth Southgate as manager, however, Palmer has featured in only three of his 27 games.
Sketchy form last season meant the former Manchester City player missed out on the summer World Cup, where England finished third after losing to Argentina in the semi-final. He was named in Tuchel’s first squad after that tournament but withdrew from the September camp, citing a minor injury, despite having played in all of Chelsea’s league games up to that point.
Tuchel explained his position this week. “We have enough number 10s and we stick to the guys who were in the previous camp because we were happy with the two and a half weeks we had together,” he said. “I guess everyone is desperate to play for England and Cole is no exception. We are speaking now about a player that is not in camp. It counts when you are in camp and I just said last time that he misses too many opportunities to impress.”
The German was keen to stress that the decision was not personal. “It’s not personal. We will never assume Cole is in the mindset never to come to the camp. Cole is always in our mindset but the competition is on,” he added.
Bellingham an example to follow
Palmer should not give up hope of returning to Tuchel’s good books. Last October, Jude Bellingham was left out of the squad for a friendly against Wales and a World Cup qualifier against Latvia. The Real Madrid midfielder then became a key part of the England team at the World Cup, scoring seven goals.
Former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson, also speaking on radio, pointed to that episode as evidence of Tuchel’s approach. “You can see what Tuchel is doing when you look at what he’s done with Jude Bellingham,” Robinson said. “It was only 12 months or so that Bellingham was getting left out of an England squad. Call it what you want, but it was management from Tuchel to make Bellingham realise that he wasn’t the lone star of this team – the team was the star.”
Robinson continued: “The team was better with Bellingham in it, playing at his highest level. There was a lesson in his management skills with Bellingham and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s doing the same now.”