Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso has defended Cole Palmer’s commitment to England after the forward withdrew from the national squad because of a recurring groin problem, saying the player must first return to full fitness.
Palmer had been selected by England manager Thomas Tuchel for Nations League matches against Spain, the Czech Republic and Croatia. But the 24-year-old had to pull out after the injury issue resurfaced.
The withdrawal came after Palmer had missed out on England’s World Cup squad earlier this year, when a persistent groin injury affected his form. Tuchel said Palmer “misses too many opportunities” to play for England, prompting criticism of the attacker over his absence from the international break.
Speaking on Friday before Chelsea’s Premier League match against Bournemouth, Alonso said Palmer’s condition was the priority. “The most important thing for Cole is to be fully fit, that he enjoys his game, that he is feeling OK,” he told reporters.
Alonso pointed to Chelsea’s match against Brentford as an example of the impact of the issue, saying Palmer had appeared to be struggling. “Whenever he is not, like in the Brentford game, we could see that he was struggling. He’s committed but he needs to be fully fit to play. We need him, the club and the national team,” the Spaniard added.
According to Alonso, Palmer has improved during the week after Chelsea used the first two weeks to aid his recovery. “Now he’s fine. He’s been feeling better this week. We use the first two weeks for him to recover. It’s a little bit from the pubalgia (groin injury) he had,” he said.
Chelsea, who are 10th in the Premier League, host 17th-placed Bournemouth later on Saturday.
Source: The Straits Times, reporting Reuters.
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