Cole Palmer set to miss England's March international break games due to injury

The Chelsea forward missed the Blues’ game against Arsenal.

Cole Palmer will miss Thomas Tuchel’s first session camp with England. Despite a recent slump in play, Chelsea’s extraordinary forward has contributed 14 goals this season. However, he will have to sit out Tuchel’s managerial debut for the Three Lions.

In this international break, England will play Latvia and Albania. When Chelsea lost 1-0 against Arsenal on the road today, Palmer was left out of the squad. Tuchel called up Morgan Gibbs-White of Nottingham Forest to replace Palmer.

Gibbs-White has already earned two caps for England and has been instrumental in Forest’s attempt to qualify for the Champions League this year.

Last September, the 25-year-old made his debut under Lee Carsley in a 0–2 victory over Ireland on the road. He also recorded an assist in his second game against Greece.

Enzo Maresca confirmed after the match that Palmer sustained a muscular injury in training on Friday.

He said: “I don’t think [he will be fit for England] to be honest. His injury is from yesterday’s session. It’s a muscular problem. He needs a scan and the scan is planned for Monday morning.”

Palmer played through his illness against Leicester last week, despite having a fever and diarrhoea prior to the game, according to Maresca.

In 25 league games this season, he has five goals and seven assists. Palmer was included in the Three Lions team for EURO 2024 by Gareth Southgate. However, he was not given many playing opportunities.

Chelsea’s attack is already overburdened by injuries, so the news comes at the worst possible moment.

Pedro Neto, Christopher Nkunku, and Jadon Sancho are having a hard time recovering from long-term injuries, while Marc Guiu, Noni Madueke, and Nicolas Jackson are all recuperating.

After losing to Arsenal, Chelsea are still in fourth place. But they are now only one point above Manchester City and two points ahead of Newcastle, who are in sixth place and have a match left.

Prior to Palmer’s signing, Tuchel was Chelsea’s manager. The team won the Champions League in 2021 while navigating sanctions brought on by Roman Abramovic’s involvement in the conflict in Ukraine.

Since joining Chelsea, Palmer has been a phenomenon, making 45 appearances in his first season and scoring 25 goals.

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