Get Cole Palmer on the plane! Chelsea's breakout star is a shoo-in for England's Euro 2024 squad - and he should be starting in Germany

One statistic in particular puts Palmer's sublime form at Chelsea into perspective.

In terms of young English players making a significant mark at the very highest level, Jude Bellingham's remarkable exploits at Real Madrid have justifiably dominated the headlines - but Palmer is now matching his esteemed compatriot's attacking output.

With yet another goal and assist as he inspired the 3-2 victory over Newcastle at Stamford Bridge, Palmer moved level with Bellingham at the top of the rankings for goal contributions in Europe's top-five leagues by players aged 21 or under, with both now sitting on 19.

The English duo are outperforming plenty of highly-regarded competition from across the continent, including Bayern Munich's Jamal Musiala (13), Florian Wirtz of Bayer Leverkusen (16) and RB Leipzig's Paris Saint-Germain loanee Xavi Simons (14).

The prospect, then, of Palmer and Bellingham playing in the same team is mouth-watering. The in-form pair were two ships passing in the night in the last international break as Bellingham withdrew from Southgate's squad just a day after Palmer was promoted from the Under-21s, but March friendlies against Belgium and Brazil could see them line up together for the first time - if Southgate throws his usual caution to the wind.

It might be a little Garth Crook's Team of the Week-esque, but a central trio of Declan Rice, Bellingham and Palmer has the potential to dominate in every area of the midfield in Germany. Although he has excelled as a more advanced midfielder in Spain, the Real Madrid star is perfectly capable of fulfilling a box-to-box role and putting in a tenacious defensive shift as well as supporting the attack - something he showed at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Rice, meanwhile, is proving himself to be among the best defensive midfielders on the planet in Arsenal's title push and is more than capable of acting as the lone anchor.

Palmer and Phil Foden provide some tactical flexibility for the manager ahead of them. Both are capable of operating centrally or out wide, with the Chelsea man admitting he prefers to play off the right. If he is deployed as an attacking midfielder, though, he has already demonstrated he has the ability to unlock some of the best defences around.

Indeed, the 21-year-old has already proved he is no shrinking violet on the biggest stage.

This season alone Palmer has bagged for ex-club Man City in the Community Shield and UEFA Super Cup, netted a penalty against Arsenal, repeated the trick and assisted against Tottenham, fired in another from the spot against his former employers and squeezed home a fine effort on the road at Manchester United.

Goal contributions aside, though, his performance levels have rarely dipped as he exhibits the kind of consistency and swagger that are required attributes if you want to become world-class. His elite mentality would be invaluable in the boiling pot of the knockout stages of a major tournament.

Much can - and will - change over the next couple of months as Southgate mulls over some big selection decisions, with friendlies against Brazil and Belgium in March likely to provide a clearer picture of his plans.

As it stands, though, Palmer should have a clear run to the starting line-up, let alone the squad; the Chelsea man is enjoying a far more productive campaign than his main rivals for an attacking midfield role, with both James Maddison and Eberechi Eze enduring injury troubles, and former favourite Mason Mount almost out of the picture altogether as he struggles for form and fitness at Man Utd.

His former team-mate Foden is enjoying another fine season at City, but he is likely to start on the left wing with neither Jack Grealish nor Marcus Rashford demonstrating anything close to their best form in Manchester. Trent Alexander-Arnold's rebirth as a central midfielder could make things interesting, but even the Liverpool assist machine doesn't carry the same attacking threat.

The beauty of Palmer's involvement is the versatility he would bring, for he is capable of competing with those wide players, too. As the name suggests, utility players come in very handy at major tournaments, and precocious Palmer is one of the highest order.

He has regularly started off the right for Chelsea this season before drifting inside to act as an auxiliary attacking midfielder or even second striker - a very effective weapon as he provides an extra body and creates havoc for defences. Bukayo Saka probably has the right wing locked down, but Palmer could come in very useful if anything goes awry.

Speaking about his adaptability earlier this season, he said: "I’m comfortable in any of the attacking positions. Whether that’s as a No.10, out wide on the left or right or even as striker, I’m happy to do a job for the team. I like to get on the ball and that role allows me to do that but wherever the manager needs me, I’m happy to play."

And what if England's Euro 2024 hopes all come down to those dreaded penalty kicks? Well, there is no one in the country you would rather have standing over the ball right now than Palmer.

He has emerged as Chelsea's designated taker this season despite only joining in September, and he has scored five out of five that he has taken so far - all with aplomb.

As a left-footer, he seems to create doubt in the mind of every goalkeeper he has faced so far, but his precision finishing has given them little chance even when they have gone the right way - as Spurs' Guglielmo Vicario discovered when Palmer smashed one in off the post at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

If England's tournament does boil down to penalties, the 21-year-old can be counted upon.