“Genuinely shocked” – Former England star slams Southgate for snubbing Chelsea sensation
Former England international Daniel Sturridge can’t believe Cole Palmer was once again overlooked by Gareth Southgate in the draw with Denmark.
England turned in a lacklustre performance and despite taking the lead through Harry Kane they were pegged back thanks to a brilliant strike from Morten Hjulmand, with neither side able to find a winner.
Southgate’s men knew a win would see them qualify for the knockout stages, but a poor display will no doubt lead to him facing some tough questions.
What’s happened to Palmer?
Following an average display against Serbia, many people were expecting somewhat of an improvement against the Danes but that simply didn’t happen.
As has become the norm under Southgate, England took the lead and sat back inviting pressure onto themselves instead of going for the kill.
The balance of the team seemed off, particularly in midfield, whilst the attack struggled as well with Harry Kane, Phil Foden and Bukayo Saka all subbed off in the second half.
Many were left scratching their heads that once again Palmer, who was named Premier League Young Player of the Year last season was left on the bench.
Jarrod Bowen and Eberechi Eze were preferred over the Chelsea star, despite the game crying out for a player of his quality.
Ex-Chelsea striker Sturridge couldn’t get his round it either and took to X.com to share his thoughts.
He simply said:
“I’m genuinely shocked we haven’t seen Cole Palmer grace the field yet.”
I’m genuinely shocked we haven’t seen Cole Palmer grace the field yet.
— Daniel Sturridge (@DanielSturridge) June 20, 2024
It does seem incredible given the season Palmer’s had that he’s yet to play a single minute, and it appears he may not feature at all.
It’s clear that for whatever reason he’s behind both Bowen and Eze in the pecking order, which is hard to understand given he registered the most goal contributions in the Premier League last season.
Palmer will have to once again get his head down, train hard and hope that he’s given an opportunity against Slovenia.
It would be a real shame to see a player of his quality not given any minutes to show what he can do on the international stage.
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