Morgan Rogers calls claims Cole Palmer lacks England commitment 'a lie'

Rogers rejects doubts over Palmer

Morgan Rogers has rejected suggestions that his Chelsea teammate Cole Palmer is not committed to playing for England, calling them "a lie". Rogers scored in England's 2-1 Nations League win over Croatia at Wembley, and he was asked about Palmer's position afterwards. He told BBC Radio 5 Live that Palmer wants to represent his country and has been dealing with injuries since last year. According to Rogers, Palmer was in a low place last year and did not feel 100 per cent on the pitch, so he now has to look after his body for the long term. Rogers said people had turned the matter into a headline without understanding it.

“It's a lie. 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.”

Palmer's omission and Tuchel's response

Thomas Tuchel left Palmer out of the squad for the November Nations League ties against Croatia and Spain, and has said the forward misses too many chances to impress. Palmer withdrew from the September camp citing a minor injury, according to the BBC and the Independent, while the Guardian described a groin problem. Five players pulled out at the start of that camp: Palmer, Declan Rice, Kobbie Mainoo, Tino Livramento and Marcus Rashford. Rice is the only one of the five who has been recalled, and Tuchel says he prefers players who 'walk the talk'. Palmer was also left out of England's 2026 World Cup squad. Asked about Rogers's remarks after the Croatia game, Tuchel said he had no problem with them.

“It's totally fine, it's his teammate and friend.”

Palmer's England record

Palmer has won 14 caps since his England debut three years ago, scoring two goals, one of them in the Euro 2024 final defeat by Spain, and providing one assist. In the same period he has scored 50 Premier League goals with 24 assists for Chelsea. He was named England's men's player of the year for the 2023-24 season. Since Tuchel succeeded Gareth Southgate as manager, Palmer has featured in only three of Tuchel's 27 games. He has started every Chelsea game this season, and England went on to finish third at the World Cup after losing to Argentina in the semi-final, a tournament Palmer did not play in.

England caps14

England goals2

England assists1

Premier League goals50

Premier League assists24

England caps

14

England goals

2

England assists

1

Premier League goals

50

Premier League assists

24

Data from the article text

What comes next

Rogers said he hopes Palmer returns to the squad sooner rather than later, and said he would like to see him in an England shirt. He described Palmer as a player with a great deal of quality and a good person. Rogers said managing his body now is the right decision for Palmer's long-term career, and that the England set-up should back that choice.

“It's a nonsense really that people are questioning someone that wants to play for England.”