John Obi Mikel has just made a claim about what the next England manager must do when it comes to Chelsea’s Cole Palmer.
Chelsea fans got to enjoy watching Cole Palmer score a goal in the final of Euro 2024 earlier in July. However, it was in a losing cause as England suffered a 2-1 defeat to champions Spain.
Remarkably, Palmer didn’t start any of England’s seven matches during the entire Euros tournament. Gareth Southgate, who’s since left the role as the national team manager, preferred to use the Blues attacker as an impact substitute.
Speaking via talkSPORT, Jason Cundy described Palmer as a “superstar” during the Euros final. The Chelsea star has managed to elevate himself to greater heights even without breaking into England’s XI.
John Obi Mikel says Cole Palmer has to start for England
According to John Obi Mikel, Southgate’s successor as the next England boss simply has to start Chelsea talisman Palmer.
He said on The Obi One Podcast: “I think they (England) need to find a way to fit Cole Palmer in that starting XI. Whichever manager comes in, his first job is to find a way he can fit Cole Palmer.”
There’s clearly some special talent in England’s attacking positions making Palmer’s path into the side difficult, but surely it’s reaching a stage where he deserves a run in the line-up.
Big pressure on 2024/25 season
The main difference for Palmer going into the next campaign is that everyone now knows him, so opposition teams against Chelsea may have specific plans to stop him.
It’s going to be interesting to see how close the left-footed playmaker gets to recreating the heroics of his first season at Stamford Bridge. Remarkably, he scored 25 goals and made 15 assists in 45 games for the Blues.
Chelsea fans shouldn’t be surprised if Palmer picks up where he left off when he rejoins his club side. He may be missing the start of the pre-season tour after his summer with England, but he’s got the advantage of previously working under Enzo Maresca at Manchester City.
What’s clear from watching Palmer in the last 12 months is that he’s not overawed by anything, whether that’s for club or country.
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