Cole Palmer told he is facing axe amid BBC journalist’s ‘spectacular’ claim
England may have qualified for the World Cup next summer but the real fight is now beginning and Cole Palmer could be the spectacular collateral damage.
Harry Kane smashed England records as the Three Lions comfortably defeated Latvia 5-0 to confirm their place at next summer’s showpiece tournament.
Anthony Gordon and Eberechi Eze also got on the scoresheet as England backed up their 3-0 friendly win over Wales.
Tuchel has only lost one game as England boss, and his side have yet to concede a goal in qualifying with two matches remaining.
Cole Palmer at risk of World Cup axe
Cole Palmer didn’t feature for England due to injury during this international break, and with the options at Tuchel’s disposal the Chelsea playmaker may miss out on a spot in his World Cup squad.
Phil McNulty, as per BBC Sport [14 October] believes, once Palmer has recovered from injury, needs to showcase his talent with a fine run of form.
“Tuchel is unlikely to start fitting square pegs in round holes so close to a major tournament – therefore Palmer, who has only played 64 minutes under the German, has work to do,” McNulty said.
“He is unlikely to get in as the 10, with Rogers currently in possession and Bellingham waiting in the wings.
| Caps | 12 |
| Goals | 2 |
| Assists | 1 |
“It is hard to see a place on the flanks, where he is less effective, with Anthony Gordon and Marcus Rashford contenders on the left and Arsenal pair Bukayo Saka and Noni Madueke fighting for a place on the right.
“This effectively means Palmer will have to produce a spectacular run of form to force his way back into Tuchel’s thinking.“
Palmer may be out until November with his thigh issue after it it was originally believed he would be back after this international break for Chelsea’s match at Nottingham Forest.
Palmer among fellow stars fighting for place
Palmer is not the only star fighting for his World Cup place, with Myles Lewis-Skelly slammed by England fans for his performance against Latvia.
Jude Bellingham does look certain to make the squad, but the Real Madrid midfielder was left out of this camp.
The forward areas are particularly congested with Phil Foden, Eze, Noni Madueke and Morgan Gibbs-White among the names not guaranteed a seat on the plane.
Tuchel will have a selection headache picking between such talent for so few places, with the finest of margins potentially deciding selection.