Thomas Tuchel excludes Cole Palmer from England squad

Cole Palmer has been left out of the latest England squad, leaving his international future uncertain under manager Thomas Tuchel. While Tuchel offered some reassurance, it is evident that Palmer has slipped down the pecking order as other players have become the manager's priority.

Explaining his selection, Tuchel said: "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 added: "I guess everyone is desperate to play with England and Cole is the same. He misses too many opportunities to impress. It was a long camp but the players in that camp brought something extraordinary."

Tuchel further noted: "It's not personal. We will never assume Cole is in the mindset never to come to the camp, but we stick to the guys who were in camp last time. It was excellent. The impact of all the players was immense. We have Josh King as a new player, who can play as a 10 and on both wings." He also remarked that "Cole is always in our mindset but the competition is on."

The decision to overlook Palmer is compounded by the inclusion of Fulham's Josh King and 21-year-old Jobe Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund. This comes after Palmer previously stated he played for Chelsea with "discomfort and pain" leading up to international fixtures that included a 3-2 defeat to Spain at Wembley, a win against the Czech Republic, a home victory over the same opponent, and a 7-0 victory against Croatia in Rijeka.

Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso confirmed that Palmer was "struggling" during the club's 3-0 loss to Brentford before the break. It is understood that Palmer remains committed to playing for England, and checks on his fitness were conducted before the squad announcement. Alonso said: "When a player is fully fit he is selectable. When he is not fit we give the national team the reasonable information to decide together. Sometimes it's not good for the player."

Alonso stated he has not discussed the England exclusion with Palmer, though they did speak regarding his recent red card in the 2-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur. Alonso added: "We have not talked about England. We are focused on Chelsea things, how to help him, how he can become more and more influential. These are our topics to talk." He continued: "We speak about Chelsea. We have enough on our plate. My impact area is my control area and what we talk about. I am very happy with his quality, with his attitude and the impact he is having with the rest of the team."

Questions persist regarding Palmer's status, especially as Tuchel had previously suggested the player needed to "step up" and "keep his shirt and justify the nomination." Tuchel is currently evaluating his options, which include Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham and Chelsea's Morgan Rogers. Other players selected ahead of Palmer include Morgan Gibbs-White, Eberechi Eze, and 19-year-old Josh King, who earned his first senior call-up, alongside praise for Everton's Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.