Revealed: Cole Palmer ‘disappointed’ at England snub as Mauricio Pochettino insists in-form Chelsea star is fully fit

The 21-year-old midfielder has been in stellar form for Chelsea this season with 11 goals and eight assists in the Premier League. He was awarded an England call-up for the friendlies against Brazil and Belgium. However, Palmer's hopes of making an impact on the international stage were dashed as he was sidelined for the 1-0 defeat to Brazil due to an injury and subsequently found himself warming the bench for England's 2-2 draw with the Rode Duivels on Tuesday.

Speaking about Palmer's disappointment, Pochettino acknowledged the midfielder's frustration at being unable to represent his country on the field.

"I was talking with him, yes, he’s a little bit disappointed because he could not play with the national team," the Argentine manager told reporters. "I think the first game he had a small problem, I think he thought he could play in the second game against Belgium but he didn’t play."

Pochettino is sure Palmer will be available for Chelsea's upcoming Premier League fixture against Burnley, saying: "Now he’s okay, he’s training well. Still one more training session tomorrow [Friday], but I think the plan is if he follows tomorrow in the same way I think he will be available for the game on Saturday."

Despite Palmer's absence from the two international friendlies, Southgate assured that he remains in contention for a spot in the squad for the upcoming Euros if he continues to perform in the same vein for his club.

"I said when I named the squad there is competition for places in those wide areas," Southgate said. "A bit of a shame that Cole Palmer missed so much training that we weren’t able to put him into the game [against Belgium] at the stage it was having missed most of the week. We weren’t 100 per cent certain what we would get whereas with [Anthony] Gordon we knew and with [James] Maddison we knew. I wouldn’t rule Cole out of that equation."

Palmer will look to continue to prove his mettle at Stamford Bridge at the business end of the season to make a powerful case for himself ahead of the Euro 2024. As fixtures keep coming thick and fast for the Blues, the former Manchester City player will be eager to get back his rhythm as quickly as possible after a brief break from competitive football.