Chelsea youngster Cole Palmer took another big step into the limelight by making his senior England debut on Friday night.
Cole Palmer, who’s a product of Manchester City’s academy, has been a fringe player in Pep Guardiola’s squad in the last couple of years.
The 21-year-old attacker already has a stunning collection of silverware to his name at such a young age, but he wasn’t content with playing a bit-part role at Man City any longer.
His impact since a summer move to Chelsea now means he’s rated as one of the best young talents in the Premier League. This form even led to a maiden call-up to England’s senior squad during this international break.
Jermain Defoe impressed
Former England striker Defoe delivered a glowing verdict on Palmer last night.
The Chelsea rising star was handed a debut in the 2-0 win over Malta, making a decent 30-minute cameo off the bench.
When asked about Palmer on Channel 4’s televised coverage of England vs Malta (9:55pm, 17 November), Defoe said: “I’d loved to have seen him for longer, to be honest. You can just see, straight away, the way he received the ball on the half turn. He’s a clever footballer. He gets 1v1. He’s confident. You can see he’s got that swagger. You talk about players like James Maddison who have got that good arrogance.
“I’m looking forward to seeing him more. He’s definitely someone that you could say if he continues on this form for his club he’ll definitely have a chance of going to the Euros.”
Joe Cole then added on the coverage: “I thought he did well. Making your debut for England, however confident you are, is always a bit of a moment for you. He handled that occasion very, very well. Listen, he’s going to be an England player for a very long time.”
Cole Palmer versatility
The main strengths that jump out when you watch Palmer is his close control, movement and weight of pass. It’s worth adding that the youngster’s extremely versatile, too.
His eye-catching England debut on Friday evening was as a left-winger, which is not a position we’re used to seeing him play in. Instead, the left-footed attacker usually drifts infield from the right, or starts centrally and pulls the strings. We’ve seen him play as a false-nine in the past for England’s Under-21s as well.
According to Miguel Delaney’s newsletter this week, Palmer’s impressed people in England training during his first week in camp.
It seems like everything he touches turns to gold right now.
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