Gareth Southgate says Cole Palmer is still in a good position to be selected for England’s Euro 2024 team and only missed out on playing this week due to a minor injury.
The Chelsea player, who has been the standout performer for the west London club this season, was not part of the squad against Brazil on Saturday but Southgate had hoped he would be fit to play against Belgium.
Even though Palmer was part of the substitute players on Tuesday evening, he did not get to play, as Southgate decided to bring on Anthony Gordon, Ollie Watkins, and James Maddison as the Three Lions tried to equalize late in the game.
Palmer was unable to train consistently leading up to the match, which is the reason he did not play, but he is still in the running to participate in the Euros – although there is tough competition for attacking positions in the team.
‘When I announced the squad, I mentioned there is strong competition for places in the wide areas,’ explained Southgate.
‘It's unfortunate that Cole Palmer missed a lot of training, and we were unable to use him in the game [against Belgium] considering the stage of the match after he missed most of the week.
‘We were not completely certain about what we would get from him, whereas with Gordon and Maddison, we were sure. I would not exclude Cole from consideration.’
Jack Grealish did not feature in the international break at all, but Southgate affirms that he is still part of England’s plans, stating: ‘Jack is definitely still in consideration.
‘I spoke to him before I announced the squad. But as I mentioned when I revealed the squad, Gordon and [Jarrod] Bowen are pushing for those positions.
‘I believe Anthony Gordon has been outstanding for his club. And of course, Marcus Rashford played in the first game. But I wanted to see Gordon again. I thought James Maddison's introduction would make an impact, and Bowen has also had a very good camp. So there is strong competition for places.’
Southgate also proposed that England might be one of several nations advocating for an expanded squad size – from 23 players to 26 – to cover for any potential injuries following another demanding club season.
‘There is an upcoming Uefa meeting where some of the coaches have discussed the possibility of increasing the squad size,’ he mentioned.
‘We have to make the best decisions [regarding selection] based on what we know, and some of those decisions will be related to medical considerations. We have managed to make the right choices in the previous [two] tournaments. We have been able to give players time to recover, even after including them in the squad. But with 23 players, that is certainly more challenging.’
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