Morgan Rogers stood up for his Chelsea team mate Cole Palmer when asked about suggestions he does not care about playing for his country.
The winger, who scored the first goal of the game in England’s 2-1 Nations League victory over Croatia on Wednesday, said it was “absolute nonsense” that people are suggesting Palmer doesn’t care about playing for his country. Harry Kane scored the winner with a penalty in his 126 th caps.
Palmer was absent from the latest squad after manager Thomas Tuchel said the 24 year old had missed too many opportunities to impress. He also withdrew from England’s September camp because of a minor injury.
Speaking after the Croatia match, Rogers insisted Palmer wanted to represent his country but needed to manage his fitness following injury problems.
The News Chronicle reports that Rogers, who shares a close friendship with Palmer dating back to their childhood, said his teammate’s absence had nothing to do with a lack of interest in England. He added that Palmer remained eager to return and perform at his best.
Palmer has earned 14 England caps since making his debut, scoring twice and providing one assist. Despite his impressive Premier League record of 50 goals and 24 assists, he has featured in only three of Tuchel’s 27 matches as England manager.
Tuchel maintained that Palmer remained under consideration but stressed that competition for places in the squad was intense.
