Morgan Rogers has had enough of people questioning Cole Palmer's commitment to England. After scoring the opening goal in the 2-1 Nations League win over Croatia at Wembley, the forward told BBC Radio 5 Live that the idea his Chelsea team-mate does not want to play for his country is "a lie" and "nonsense".
What Rogers said
The two are both 24 and have been friends since childhood, so Rogers is hardly a neutral. He was firm about it all the same. Palmer wanted to be called up, he said, and wanted to represent England as he always has.
His explanation was about fitness. Rogers said Palmer had been in a low place with injuries last year and had not felt fully himself on the pitch. A player who wants a career lasting another 10 or 15 years sometimes has to look after his body in the short term, and Rogers argued that he should be backed for doing so. Neither he nor Palmer, he added, understands where the doubts have come from.
Why Tuchel left him out
Palmer was not in the squad for this camp. Thomas Tuchel's reasoning was blunt: the Chelsea player "misses too many chances to impress". He pulled out of the previous squad in September with what was described as a minor injury, despite having played in every one of Chelsea's league games up to that point. He was not picked for the World Cup either, after patchy form last season, and England finished third without him.
Tuchel did leave the door open this week. He said England have enough number 10s and that he was sticking with the group from the last camp because he had been happy with it. It is not personal, he insisted. Palmer is always in his thinking, but the competition is on.
Three appearances in 27 games
The numbers are strange for a player of his ability. Palmer has 14 caps in the three years since his debut, with two goals and one assist. One of those goals came in the Euro 2024 final against Spain, and he was named England men's player of the year for 2023-24. For his clubs he has 50 Premier League goals and 24 assists.
Yet under Tuchel he has featured in only three of 27 matches. Whatever is going on between them, it has been going on for a while.
The Bellingham precedent
There is a recent example of a player coming back from this. Last October Tuchel left Jude Bellingham out for a friendly against Wales and a World Cup qualifier against Latvia. Bellingham went on to score seven goals at the World Cup.
Former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson, also speaking on 5 Live, sees a pattern. He reckons dropping Bellingham was a piece of management designed to make the Real Madrid midfielder understand that the team was the star, and said he would not be surprised if Tuchel is trying the same thing with Palmer.
Maybe so. It worked on Bellingham. The difference is that Bellingham was back in the side within weeks, and Palmer has now missed a World Cup.
Player context: Cole Palmer, 24, Chelsea. 14 England caps, two goals, one assist; England men's player of the year 2023-24. Has played in three of Thomas Tuchel's 27 matches as England head coach and was left out of the 2026 World Cup squad. Morgan Rogers, 24, scored England's first goal against Croatia. Source: BBC Sport, BBC Radio 5 Live.
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