Chelsea attacking midfielder Cole Palmer is expected to withdraw from England's squad for the upcoming Nations League matches due to load management, according to The Athletic's David Ornstein. The 24-year-old was named in Thomas Tuchel's 27-man party for the clashes with Spain, Czech Republic (twice) and Croatia, despite being left out of the Three Lions' World Cup squad.
Palmer played the full 90 minutes of Chelsea's 3-0 defeat to Brentford on Friday night, his seventh appearance of the season in all competitions for the Blues. The decision to sit out England's four fixtures during the extended international break was made to manage his workload, Ornstein reported.
Manchester United duo face fitness doubts
The report also claims that Manchester United duo Kobbie Mainoo and Marcus Rashford could follow suit due to fitness concerns. Mainoo managed 80 minutes of United's 1-1 draw with Fulham on Sunday before being replaced by Mason Mount at Craven Cottage. Rashford was substituted in the closing stages, with United head coach Michael Carrick confirming to beIN SPORTS: "We had to bring him off as he had a bit of an issue."
Palmer had hoped to put his fitness concerns behind him after a frustrating 2025/26 campaign with Chelsea, where he started only 24 of the club's 38 Premier League games. This season, under new manager Xabi Alonso, Palmer has recorded four goals and two assists for the Blues.
England's 27-man squad and Palmer's international record
Tuchel's initial squad includes goalkeepers Jordan Pickford (Everton), Jason Steele (Brighton & Hove Albion), and James Trafford (Leeds United). Defenders named were Trent Alexander-Arnold (Real Madrid), Jarrad Branthwaite (Everton), Trevoh Chalobah (Como), Marc Guéhi (Manchester City), Lewis Hall (Newcastle United), Ezri Konsa (Arsenal), Tino Livramento (Newcastle United), Nico O'Reilly (Manchester City), and Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen).
Midfielders include Elliot Anderson (Manchester City), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Declan Rice (Arsenal), and Alex Scott (AFC Bournemouth). Forwards are Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Leeds United), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal), Anthony Gordon (Barcelona), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Rio Ngumoha (Liverpool), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Morgan Rogers (Chelsea), and Bukayo Saka (Arsenal).
Palmer was named England's Men's Player of the Year in 2023/24 and scored the country's only goal in the Euro 2024 final defeat to Spain. The former Manchester City player has earned 14 caps, with his last appearance coming in the 1-0 loss to Japan in March.
