Cole Palmer says he was “frustrated” at the lack of opportunities under former England manager Gareth Southgate during their run to the Euro 2024 final.
The Chelsea forward did not play in either of the Three Lions’ first two games, while he did not start any of the seven matches in Germany despite a stunning breakthrough season in the Premier League.
Palmer had just come off the back of a campaign in which he scored 25 goals in all competitions after joining the Blues from boyhood club Manchester City, while he has scored seven in 11 games this season.
“It was frustrating at England, to be fair,” Palmer told GQ. “Not to say that the players aren’t good. But just coming off the back of the season I had, the form I was in, everything I was doing was coming off.
“So I’m not playing in the first two games even when the team was struggling, it was a bit like ‘Why?’ Do you know what I mean?
“If you bring me on [in] the third game and I don’t do anything, then I can’t really say anything. I just had to try and force my way in.”
INSTANT impact by Cole Palmer! ⚡️pic.twitter.com/P9K46QxU5m
— England (@England) July 14, 2024
Southgate largely used Palmer as an impact substitute during the tournament, with the 22-year-old coming off the bench to set up fellow sub Ollie Watkins in the final minute to beat the Netherlands in the semi-final.
He then scored the equalising goal off the bench in the final against Spain, but even then Palmer wondered why Southgate did not utlise him sooner.
“I remember Watkins coming on [in the final], and I was thinking ‘Why not me?'” Palmer said.
Palmer’s decision to join Chelsea £42.5million last summer proved a masterstroke after swapping the City fringes to now being regarded as one of the Premier League’s best players.
City boss Pep Guardiola says the academy graduate had been trying to leave the club for “two seasons” before arriving in Stamford Bridge.
“I just knew I wasn’t going to play as much as I wanted to,” Palmer added.
“Even when I was going to England [camps] with younger age groups, you had players there who were playing in the league every week. And you’re looking around thinking, ‘I can play in the league’. When you’re not playing, it’s annoying.”
Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have both withdrawn from November’s @England squad. pic.twitter.com/D14HBgAe5P
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) November 11, 2024
Palmer, who has 11 senior England caps to his name, will miss their upcoming games against Greece and Republic of Ireland after the Chelsea forward was one of eight players to pull out of the squad.
Bukayo Saka, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Declan Rice, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Levi Colwill and Aaron Ramsdale are also abent, with Morgan Rogers, Jarrod Bowen, Tino Livramento, Jarrad Branthwaite and James Trafford drafted in by Lee Carsley.
