Thomas Tuchel has questioned how desperate Cole Palmer is to play for England after the Chelsea forward withdrew from the latest international squad through injury.
Palmer was recalled for the Nations League fixtures against Spain, the Czech Republic and Croatia after making a strong start to the season, contributing to six goals in seven matches for Chelsea. However, he pulled out of the squad after playing the full 90 minutes against Brentford.
It is the second time Palmer has been called up and subsequently withdrawn with a fitness problem since Tuchel became England manager at the start of 2025. He has also missed three camps entirely through injury and was not selected for another.
Asked whether Palmer’s repeated absences suggested he was not desperate to represent England, Tuchel said: “It’s hard to argue against what you’re saying.”
Tuchel says Palmer is missing too many opportunities
Tuchel said England could rely on Jude Bellingham, Morgan Rogers, Morgan Gibbs-White and Eberechi Eze, describing them as players who were “all desperate to be here, all available and all ready to go”.
He added that he could judge Palmer only on what the 23-year-old delivered for the national team, arguing that his absences had limited his chances to impress.
“For sure it’s a missed opportunity,” Tuchel said. “It’s another missed opportunity. He misses too many opportunities.
“I don’t blame him for it, it’s just a fact. He misses way too many camps with injuries.”
Palmer has played three times for Tuchel across two England camps. He was called up but injured before the March 2025 camp, played against Andorra in May and featured against Uruguay and Japan in March 2026.
He was not selected for the World Cup in May amid a continuing fitness issue, before being recalled for the September camp and withdrawing again.
Tuchel rejected the suggestion that Palmer’s absence represented a decision to manage his workload. He said Chelsea had informed England that the forward was playing with discomfort and pain and could not perform at the highest level.
“We’re not managing load,” Tuchel said. “This is not an ‘international break’. It’s a competitive environment, where the players love to train and be together.”
The England manager said he did not want the belief that players were reluctant to join the national team to take hold, adding: “We focus on the guys who absolutely want to play for England.”
Palmer was one of five players to withdraw from the original squad, alongside Declan Rice, Kobbie Mainoo, Marcus Rashford and Tino Livramento. England captain Harry Kane said every player was “extremely proud” to represent the country, while acknowledging that individuals could have different physical and mental circumstances.
England face Spain on Saturday before travelling to play the Czech Republic on Tuesday and Croatia on October 3.
