It proves the depth in strength England have when Cole Palmer is a bench player for his country after his impressive season in Chelsea colours.
The 22-year-old hasn’t started a game for Gareth Southgate at the Euros and that is expected to continue when England face Spain in the Euro 2024 final on Sunday in Berlin.
One man who is expected to start is Manchester City right-back Kyle Walker, possibly in a back three, or Southgate could revert back to a flat back four.
Either way, Walker will be hoping Cole Palmer can replicate his recent performances from the bench, including the assist for Ollie Watkins’ incredible last-minute goal during the victory over Holland.
You suspect that if things get a little twitchy against the Spanish, the first thing England fans across the world will be screaming for is Palmer and Watkins to come on.
And rightly so! Between them for Chelsea and Aston Villa last season, they scored and assisted 65 goals, with Unai Emery’s side going on to secure Champions League football.
It’s a good thing that the Chelsea playmaker isn’t fazed by much because Walker’s recent analysis of his teammate leading up to the final is pretty brutal, it has to be said!
The Treble-winner is known for his speed and perhaps being one of the quickest players in the Premier League, so it was right for England’s official YouTube channel to give him the task of ranking his teammates in terms of speed.
As you can imagine, Walker was top, alongside Newcastle United’s Anthony Gordon, with goalkeeper Jordan Pickford understandably bottom.
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But the Everton man was joined alongside Palmer, with Walker calling the quick-footed forward a ‘sloth’ because he ‘moves so slow’.
Thankfully, Palmer can still sing and dance like the best players in Europe, with Walker making it clear ‘don’t take it to heart’.
Cole Palmer’s speed
“Me and John (Stones) call him the sloth because he just moves so slow,” said Walker. “But his body movement just takes you everywhere.
“The two sloths (Pickford and Palmer) are down the bottom. But I love you all dearly guys, so don’t take it to heart.”
Gareth Southgate needs to be pro-active with Cole Palmer
Fans have accepted Palmer won’t start, but if anything goes wrong, then he needs to be on the pitch as soon as possible.
The difference with this Spain side is that they will rip you to shreds, Manchester City’s Rodri is ‘the most valuable player in world football’ for a reason.
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Then there is Spain and Euro 2024’s record-breaker Lamine Yamal. You dread to think if he would have earned any game time if Southgate was coaching him.
But this is Palmer’s chance, and his teammates, to do what generations and generations of English players have failed to do for decades and that’s win that much-craved trophy.
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