Lee Carsley makes Cole Palmer central to England plan

Chelsea player can expect a big role under the England interim manager after not starting a single game for Gareth Southgate at Euro 2024

Lee Carsley is intent on making Cole Palmer central to his England plans as he prepares to name his squad for the Nations League games against Greece and Finland.
Palmer will be named in the England squad and, barring suffering an injury while playing for Chelsea at the weekend, there are no concerns he will pull out with muscle fatigue as he did for Carsley’s first two games in charge.
Chelsea left Palmer out of their squad for the league phase of the Europa Conference League and the attacking midfielder has proved his full fitness in recent weeks.
Speaking ahead of Chelsea’s Conference League game against Gent on Thursday night, head coach Enzo Maresca said: “We played some games without Cole, but for us, Cole is something extra that you need.
“We also need to think a bit to protect some players. They need that. There is a reason behind it and I think Cole needs to be protected.”
Chelsea star Palmer, who has been in incredible form, can expect a big role under England interim manager Carsley after not starting a single match under Gareth Southgate at the European Championship.
Maresca claimed Palmer is the best player in the Premier League following his four-goal performance against Brighton and the 22-year-old has more goals and assists than any other player since the start of last season.
Despite the fact Carsley will also have Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham, who were also unavailable for the first two Nations League games, to pick from this time, he wants to make Palmer a big part of his team.
Palmer won the Under-21 European Championship with Carsley, who has made it clear that he wants to reward good form during his time as England senior manager.
That leaves Manchester City full-back Kyle Walker, who has suffered an indifferent start to the season, sweating on winning his place back in the England squad.
Walker was left out of Carsley’s first squad and Trent Alexander-Arnold took full advantage by producing two good performances in the victories over Republic of Ireland and Finland.
There has also been more off-field controversy around Walker, who has gone through a turbulent period in his private life.
Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins, who pulled out of the Ireland and Finland games, is expected to be included among the strikers, with Tottenham Hotspur’s Dominic Solanke also hoping to win a place in the squad.