Former Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane has laid into Cole Palmer. The Chelsea star didn't report for duty with the England squad due to injury.
Palmer was initially called up by Thomas Tuchel for the Nations League matches, but he later withdrew from the squad along with Declan Rice, Cobbie Mainoo, Marcus Rashford, and Tino Livramento.
His withdrawal stems from ongoing injury issues, with Palmer recently confessing to playing on one leg for ten months due to groin problems.
Speaking on ITV prior to England's 3-2 defeat to Spain at Wembley, Keane questioned whether the midfielder has what it takes to lead the national side.
Well, I think regardless of his injuries, and if he's injured... I watched his last game against Brentford, and if you think he’s going to take England to the next level and win trophies, forget it. I like Palmer; he’s a talented lad, but in my opinion, he has too many poor habits.
Palmer's absence was also addressed by national team manager Thomas Tuchel.
He's missing too many camps. That's the main takeaway. We've had a lot of call-ups, and he hasn't been able to make it this time. It is what it is. I'm not going to focus on players who aren't here. The footballers who are here have my full attention.
The manager stressed that these missed opportunities are detrimental for Cole, as he wants to rely solely on players who are available.
It's a missed opportunity. He’s missing too many chances. I don’t blame him for it. It’s just a fact. He misses too many camps due to injuries, and I want to rely only on what I see in my squad, and that requires being in camp.
This summer, Palmer was left out of Tuchel's squad for the World Cup and has since been working on regaining his form at Chelsea.
