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Thomas Tuchel Orders Medical Checks On Cole Palmer For England Squad vs Croatia And Spain
“Palmer’s absence from the England squad is fair, and it is his to step up further and make the German boss change that decision.”
“If Palmer were left out, it would be a pointed statement from the England boss and would raise serious doubts about his international future under Tuchel.”
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Palmer underwent medical checks as Tuchel weighs England squad inclusion for Croatia and Spain. He missed four games last international window due to a minor injury.
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Palmer medical checks
England made medical checks on Cole Palmer as Thomas Tuchel considered whether to select the Chelsea forward in his next squad. Tuchel said Palmer was "playing with discomfort and pain" but was "missing too many opportunities" with England.
Tuchel names his squad to face Croatia and Spain on Friday, with the BBC noting that medical checks are normal for England medical staff under consideration. Palmer completed 90 minutes for Chelsea against Brentford before the international window in which he missed all four games, and Palmer started for the Blues in the first game afterwards.
Selection dilemmas
Tuchel’s squad decisions also hinge on Bukayo Saka’s injury absence, which opens the door for another attacker as Noni Madueke pushes for a recall. Marcus Rashford has not played since mid-October and is not fit for selection, while Trevoh Chalobah is a major injury doubt.
Tuchel also faces defender dilemmas as Ben White and Djed Spence push for recalls after missing out on the previous squad through injury. The BBC framed the remaining spots as "still seemingly up for grabs" even as Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice are described as "stonewall selections".
Nations League stakes
England carry Nations League stakes into matches against Croatia and Spain as Tuchel prepares to announce his latest squad for the Friday selection. England play two Nations League games against Croatia on November 12 at Wembley and Spain three days later in Madrid.
The Telegraph reported that Tuchel claimed the forward "missed too many opportunities" to play for the national side after Palmer withdrew with a small injury. Tuchel told England fans in September that Palmer "missed too many opportunities" and that he "cannot compete at the highest level with discomfort and pain".