Cole Palmer has undoubtedly been one of Chelsea's best players in the early stages of this season. He has scored four goals and provided two assists in his opening seven appearances.
His impressive form earned him a call-up to Thomas Tuchel's England squad for matches against Spain, Czechia, and Croatia. However, another minor niggle has meant that Palmer has had to withdraw from the squad.
Palmer was controversially left out of England's World Cup squad in the summer, much to the surprise and disappointment of both Chelsea and England fans, with many criticising Thomas Tuchel for not taking players who can make a significant difference, and a different point of view for a specific game situation.
The Chelsea No.10 was called up to the England squad and set to make his first appearance under Tuchel since March, but those were his first minutes in an England squad for almost eight months after picking up groin issues which made him unavailable for selection.
Whilst Chelsea fans may have initially been worried by the news that Palmer had withdrawn from the England squad due to a minor muscle issue, his absence could actually be viewed as a positive. Palmer has been one of Chelsea's most influential players this season alongside João Pedro, who is also currently sidelined with an injury and was forced to withdraw from the Brazil squad. Meanwhile, Morgan Rogers has been called up to Tuchel's England squad.
When Palmer joined Chelsea from Manchester City in 2023, he hit the ground running, registering 25 goals and 15 assists in his first season.
He followed that up with 32 goal involvements the following campaign. However, the 2025/26 season was when Palmer began to struggle with injuries and form.
He missed 26 games in total, with his longest spell on the sidelines coming as a result of a groin injury. Chelsea rushed him back after he had already spent two months out, only for the same issue to occur again.
With a player like Palmer, whose talent is on display for everyone to see, he needs to be protected from time to time to make sure he is 100 per cent fit for what is a long Premier League season. Reports coming out that although it seems that he has picked up a knock, his absence is down to "load management" to try to limit the amount of injuries he picks up throughout the season, leaving fans disappointed and a bit angry.
Palmer himself, who you can see by his style on the pitch, loves to play football, but at the end of the day, the player must understand that he's also got to protect himself. One thing you can count on is that when Cole Palmer does pull on an England shirt again, he'll leave his mark.
Add us as a preferred source on Google