Tuchel says Palmer is missing England opportunities after latest withdrawal

Thomas Tuchel says Cole Palmer is missing chances to establish himself in the England squad after the Chelsea forward withdrew from the latest international camp. According to BBC Sport, the England manager said Palmer had been playing through pain and discomfort, while stressing that repeated absences limit his opportunities to assess the player in person.

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Palmer, 24, has started all five of Chelsea's Premier League matches this season. However, Tuchel said both the player and his club had informed England of the withdrawal because he could not compete at the highest level while experiencing discomfort. The manager said he was not blaming Palmer for being injured, but described the latest absence as another missed opportunity.

The forward has made only three England appearances since Tuchel took charge in January 2025 and was omitted from his World Cup squad. Tuchel explained that club performances alone cannot provide everything he needs to see: being present at a national-team camp gives players a further opportunity to impress him on the training pitch and within his own team.

BBC Sport reported that Palmer is understood to be overseas following a training programme designed for his injury, accompanied by a Chelsea rehabilitation coach. Chelsea have given their players who are not on international duty time off and permission to travel. The report did not identify a specific injury or provide a timetable for Palmer's return.

Declan Rice, Tino Livramento, Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo have also withdrawn through injury. Tuchel said he was not concerned that players were prioritising their clubs over England and rejected the idea that his camp was simply a period for managing workloads. He emphasised the competitive nature of international duty and the togetherness he believes the squad has developed since last September's qualifying campaign.

The withdrawals come ahead of England's first match since the World Cup, against Spain at Wembley on Saturday. England finished third at the tournament, beating France 6-4 after losing 2-1 to Argentina in the semi-final. Tuchel said he did not expect supporters to react negatively to that campaign and pointed to the speed of ticket sales as evidence of enthusiasm for the team's return.