Cole Palmer has pulled out of the England squad for the upcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures, with Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White expected to be drafted in as his replacement. The 24-year-old Chelsea forward had only just earned his way back into Thomas Tuchel's thinking after being left out of the summer's World Cup squad entirely.
Chelsea have indicated that Palmer is carrying a muscular injury they are keen to monitor, and there are also concerns around the volume of football he has played so far this term. The withdrawal comes just days after he featured for the full 90 minutes of Chelsea's 3-0 defeat to Brentford on Friday — his seventh appearance across all competitions this season.
Palmer has posted four goals and two assists in those outings under Xabi Alonso and had appeared to be returning to the kind of form that saw him win England's Men's Player of the Year award in 2023/24. Last season, however, persistent groin, thigh and hamstring problems restricted him to 34 appearances, and he started only 24 of Chelsea's 38 Premier League matches. His last outing for England came in a 1-0 defeat by Japan in March.
Tuchel had offered a firm verdict on Palmer when naming the squad, saying the player had a point to prove and that it was his chance to come to camp and be the best version of himself. That opportunity will now be deferred.
Gibbs-White, 26, had been on a family holiday in Dubai following Forest's defeat by Coventry on Saturday but is returning immediately to link up with the squad. Tuchel acknowledged at his Friday press conference that the midfielder came close to making the original selection. Gibbs-White last represented England on 9 October last year, having been omitted from the World Cup squad despite netting 18 goals and contributing seven assists across all competitions last season.
Palmer is not the only absentee Tuchel must contend with. Manchester United winger Marcus Rashford, substituted in the 77th minute of United's 1-1 draw with Fulham at Craven Cottage on Sunday, is unlikely to join up with England after aggravating a hip issue that has been managed since the World Cup. He held the area around his hip and groin as he made his way slowly off the pitch. United head coach Michael Carrick told beIN Sports: "We had to bring him off as he had a bit of an issue."
Kobbie Mainoo, Rashford's United teammate, is also a doubt. The midfielder played 80 minutes at Craven Cottage before being withdrawn, and injury is expected to rule him out despite Carrick citing tactical reasons for the substitution. Mainoo was the only outfield player in the World Cup squad not to appear on the pitch during the tournament, and Tuchel had promised that would not be repeated, saying it was entirely on him and that he would certainly give the midfielder minutes in at least one of the upcoming games. If Mainoo does stand down, Everton's James Garner — who made his senior debut in March but missed the World Cup — is understood to be a strong candidate to replace him.
Newcastle full-back Tino Livramento is also expected to withdraw. He missed the World Cup with a calf injury, returned only as a substitute for his club against Bournemouth earlier this month, and then suffered a setback in training before Newcastle's win over Hull on Saturday, leaving him absent from the matchday squad. Livramento has yet to start a game this season.
England open their Nations League campaign against World Cup winners Spain at Wembley on Saturday, before travelling to face Czechia in Prague and Croatia in Rijeka, then hosting Czechia again at Wembley on 6 October. England reached the semi-final of the World Cup this summer before exiting against Argentina, and Tuchel's side will be hoping this two-year Nations League cycle sets them on course for Euro 2028.
Reporting: The Guardian, CaughtOffside, Mirror, Daily Star, The Sun, talkSPORT, BBC Sport, Sky Sports, Evening Standard, Metro, GiveMeSport, Daily Mail, Football.London.