Cole Palmer was one of a number of big-name omissions when England manager Thomas Tuchel announced his final 26-man World Cup squad
Roy Keane says that the likes of Harry Maguire and Cole Palmer have nobody to blame but themselves for being omitted from England’s World Cup squad.
The Manchester United defender and Chelsea’s playmaker were among several high-profile names to controversially miss out, yet Keane maintains the responsibility lies solely with the players.
Palmer’s heartbreak could be good news for Chelsea, with Xabi Alonso due to start as the club’s new manager on July 1.
The England snub means a first summer off in four years for Palmer having played in last year’s Club World Cup, Euro 2024 and the European Under-21 Championship in 2023.
It comes after a season badly disrupted by injury and a loss of form, the first time in the former Manchester City forward’s career that he has had to deal with such setbacks.
Speaking ahead of the Three Lions’ 1-0 friendly win over New Zealand on Saturday night, Keane said: “Every time we do an England game, we speak a lot about players who have been left out or in terms of the squad are left out of the starting XI.
“But I think if you can’t get into a squad of 26, that’s on you. That is on the player, you’ve not done enough to convince that manager and there will always be uproar with England for players that are left out if they play for certain clubs but that’s on you, if you can’t make a squad of 26, that’s on you, don’t blame anyone else.”
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The likes of Phil Foden, Adam Wharton, Lewis Hall and Morgan Gibbs-White were among a number of other notable absentees
England kick off their World Cup campaign against Croatia, with Ghana and Panama also awaiting them in the group stage, and a friendly against Costa Rica serving as their final warm-up before the tournament begins.
Speaking last month, former interim head coach Calum McFarlane urged Palmer to see his omission from England’s World Cup squad as a positive.
“In life and in football, especially in football, I’ve learnt that you need to take every setback as a positive,” said McFarlane.
“There’s going to be lots of them. There’s going to be losses, there’s going to be moments like this. If you have the right mindset, you can turn it into a positive.”
A groin injury meant Palmer missed 15 matches between August and November and even after he returned to the team it was clear he did not enjoy full range of movement.
There were further frustrations to deal with, such as missing the 3-0 Champions League win over Barcelona with a broken toe sustained in an accident at home, whilst he also missed games due to thigh and hamstring problems.
It was the absence of form when fit to play that looks ultimately to have cost him a seat on the plane, however.
He managed only 11 goals in all competitions, well short of the 25 and 18 he managed in his first two seasons at Stamford Bridge, and at times has been a pale impression of the player that first exploded into England contention after moving from Manchester City in 2023.
“It’s not anything to do with me,” said McFarlane. “I’ve spoken loads of times about how I feel and how the club feel about Cole. The England manager has made a decision. In that moment it’s probably best to speak to him.
“It’s football. You’re going to have so many moments like this, whether it be on the pitch, off the pitch. The reason they’re at this level and are able to play for a club of this magnitude is because they can deal with setbacks.”
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