Tuchel explains why Palmer is out of England squad

England manager Thomas Tuchel has shared why Chelsea forward Cole Palmer was not picked for the national team’s squad for the Nations League games this November. He said Palmer has missed too many chances to show what he can do.

Palmer, 24, was not part of England’s squad in early autumn and he has been left out again for the upcoming matches against Croatia at Wembley on November 12 and Spain in Madrid on November 15.

Instead, Tuchel has called up Fulham midfielder Josh King and Borussia Dortmund’s Jobe Bellingham for their first England caps. Both players play in attacking midfield roles.

Tuchel explained his choice, saying he is happy with the players who were in the last international camp. He wants to keep the squad consistent. "We have enough number 10s and we stick to the guys who were in the previous camp because we were happy with the two and a half weeks we had together," Tuchel said.

He added that King will bring more options in attack. He wants to see King play on both wings. "We have Josh King as a new player in there, but I want to see him on both wings. He is kind of an extra player and he can play all four positions," he noted.

On Palmer’s ongoing absence, Tuchel recognized that the Chelsea forward wants to play for England. But he stressed that players must grab their chances when they are with the national team. "I guess everyone is desperate to play for England and Cole is no exception," he said.

But he also pointed out, "We are speaking now about a player that is not in camp. It counts when you are in camp and I just said last time that he misses too many opportunities to impress."

Meanwhile, Jobe Bellingham has received his first call-up to the senior England team. He now joins his older brother Jude in the squad.

The brothers could be the first siblings to play together in an England starting lineup since Gary and Phil Neville.

England is currently in second place behind Spain in Group A3 of the Nations League. They have three wins and one loss so far.

Tuchel’s team needs just one more point from their last two games to move on to the quarter-finals, which will take place in March. The winners of those quarter-final matches will go to the Nations League Finals in June.