Alonso insists Cole Palmer remains committed to England

Xabi Alonso insists Cole Palmer remains determined to play for England. The Chelsea manager also explained that his player missed the latest international break because of an issue related to a groin injury that had already kept him out for much of last season.

Since his goal against Spain in the Euro 2024 final, Palmer has earned five caps; his most recent withdrawal was for genuine reasons. His latest withdrawal from England duty disappointed Thomas Tuchel: the forward had made himself unavailable for the start of the Nations League campaign last month. Tuchel said Palmer misses too many chances to play for England and questioned whether he wanted to be part of the squad. Palmer is, however, available to face Bournemouth on Saturday.

Alonso stressed that his player’s health comes first. “The most important thing for Cole is to be fully fit, to enjoy his game and to feel OK,” Chelsea’s manager said. “Now he’s fine,” he added. Palmer has been feeling better this week, Alonso also explained, after the first two weeks were used for recovery; he described the issue as related to pubalgia.

The problem still needs careful management, but Alonso says Chelsea’s playmaker intends to play for England. He was also asked whether a player can be considered world class without playing international football. “Things happen naturally,” he replied, adding that a player who consistently demonstrates his level for his club will normally make their way into the national team.

Last season, Palmer struggled with persistent groin pain and was left out of Tuchel’s World Cup squad. Last month, he also felt minor irritation before Chelsea’s defeat by Brentford. Alonso said the recent issue was nowhere near as serious as the problem that left Palmer struggling to shoot properly last season.

Tuchel has plenty of options in attacking midfield; his decision on Palmer for next month’s matches against Croatia and Spain remains to be seen. Alonso, meanwhile, hopes to have injured players Reece James, Moisés Caicedo and Marco Palestra back for the Bournemouth game. Palmer has scored four goals for Chelsea this season.