Rogers Says “It’s a Lie” That Palmer, 24, Does Not Want England

• Morgan Rogers says it is a lie that his Chelsea teammate Cole Palmer, 24, does not want to play for England, per The Guardian.
• Thomas Tuchel said he was fine with Rogers defending Palmer and called Rogers England’s standout player against Croatia.
• England face Spain in Madrid on Sunday, and a win takes Group A3.

How Rogers Answered the Question Hanging Over Palmer’s England Place

Morgan Rogers opened the scoring in England’s 2-1 win over Croatia at Wembley on Thursday. Afterwards he spoke up for a Chelsea teammate who was not in the squad.

“It’s a lie,” Rogers said. “He wants to be here. He wanted to get called up and he wanted to come and represent his country as he always has done. People just see it as news and say the easy thing.”

He was answering the claim that Cole Palmer does not want to play for England.

Why the question keeps coming back

Palmer was left out of the squad for this week’s Nations League ties against Croatia and Spain. He has faced questions over his desire to play international football after he withdrew from a camp with a groin injury. Tuchel did not take the 24-year-old to last summer’s World Cup.

Tuchel has previously said he found it hard to argue when it was put to him that Palmer does not want to play for the national team after his fourth withdrawal from a squad. Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso has also backed Palmer publicly after the omission.

Last week Tuchel insisted the latest exclusion was not personal. He laid out his reasoning for leaving Palmer out.

“We have enough number 10s and we stick to the guys who were in the previous camp because we were happy with the two and a half weeks we had together.”

“I guess everyone is desperate to play for England and Cole is no exception.”

“We are speaking now about a player that is not in camp. It counts when you are in camp and I just said last time that he misses too many opportunities to impress.”

“It’s not personal. We will never assume Cole is in the mindset never to come to the camp. Cole is always in our mindset but the competition is on.”

Rogers makes the case for his friend

Rogers went through Palmer’s recent history.

“We all know he had a difficult year last year with injuries and I know personally he’s been managing them injuries ever since. He was in quite a low place with his injuries last year and didn’t feel 100% himself on the pitch, so he wants to be here and he wants to be the best version of himself. Of course he does, who wouldn’t? But he also has to look at his body. He wants to play for 10 to 15 years, he also has to manage himself.”

He then argued that Palmer’s caution deserves support, and that the doubt over his commitment makes no sense.

“If he has to manage himself in the short term for the greater good then he has to do that and you have to fully support it. It has nothing to do with England or not wanting to play with England. It’s a nonsense really that people are questioning someone that wants to play for England. You see the joy and smile on his face, how much he loves the game, so I honestly don’t get it and he doesn’t get it. But it’s something he has to deal with but I can assure you he wants to be here and he wants to play for his country.”

Tuchel has no problem with it

Tuchel had no issue with Rogers speaking out. “It’s totally fine, it’s his teammate and friend,” England’s manager said. “I was very happy with the emotional commitment and physical commitment of Morgan. He was our standout player today.”

Rogers played on the right against Croatia. Petar Sucic pulled Croatia level after Rogers’ opener, and Harry Kane restored England’s lead with a penalty on the night he became his country’s most capped player. The win secured England’s place in the Nations League quarter-finals next March.

What comes next

Tuchel is not short of options at No 10, with Eberechi Eze and Rogers among those selected as cover for Jude Bellingham. He has also spoken about the importance of turning up to camp, saying Kane would never pull out of an England squad.

England now travel to Madrid, where Tuchel’s squad will be without Palmer. A win over Spain on Sunday takes Tuchel’s side to the top of Group A3, with the quarter-final place already booked.