Why Chelsea's Cole Palmer Pulled Out of the England Squad

Thomas Tuchel takes charge of the England national team for the first time as he leads the Three Lions in 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier action, but he'll do so without his former club's top star.

Cole Palmer pulled out of the international squad, England announced Tuesday ahead of their game against Albania on Friday. The Chelsea forward was a surprise omission from his club's squad when they faced Arsenal in the Premier League.

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Why Chelsea's Cole Palmer Pulled Out of the England Squad

According to the team, Palmer is staying at Chelsea this break for further assessment after he picked up an injury in training ahead of the Arsenal game.

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca said after the loss that Palmer picked up a muscular injury in training. He was scheduled for a scan and testing on Monday, but it seems Chelsea don't want to take any risk. Considering his recent struggles at the club level, Maresca said: "We don't wish players injury, but probably in Cole's case in this moment it will give him some rest, physically and mentally, it could be good."

Cole Palmer Replacements for England

Palmer is listed as a midfielder in the England squad, but he can play further forward off the wing. Depending on the system Tuchel deploys, Eberechi Eze and Morgan Rogers could be in line for more minutes this break. Same goes for Morgan Gibbs-White as Jude Bellingham should receive the bulk of the starting minutes this break.

Despite Bukayo Saka still recovering from injury, England should have enough depth in Anthony Gordon, Phil Foden, Jarrod Bowen and Marcus Rashford to occupy the front line next to Harry Kane.