Cole Palmer states he is ‘prepared’ to start for England at Euro 2024, though he ‘accepts’ his limited playing time in the tournament so far.
Palmer did not play in England’s initial group matches against Serbia and Denmark but was brought on for the last 30 minutes of their scoreless draw with Slovenia.
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Calls for Palmer to receive more playing time grew during England’s disappointing group stage performance, with many pundits advocating for him to start in Sunday’s round-of-16 match against Slovakia.
The 22-year-old was a standout player in the Premier League last season, scoring 22 goals and providing 11 assists in an impressive debut season at Chelsea.
Palmer is aware of the discussions about his reduced role at the Euros but ‘understands’ why he is currently behind players like Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden, and Jude Bellingham in Southgate’s lineup.
‘You can see on social media what fans think,’ the Stamford Bridge star said. ‘There’s loads of different teams people want to play, so it’s normal. It’s nice to see it but it’s not up to them, is it?
‘Personally I think I’m ready but it’s not up to me. I just wait for my time and when I get on I just try to do what I do. I was just excited to get on for 20 minutes and thought I was going to try to do something or make an impact.
‘I wouldn’t say I’m impatient because I know it’s my first tournament and you’ve got players like Saka, Foden and Bellingham in my position so it is understandable. But I was just want to get on and try to impress when I do.’
Despite England’s shaky beginning at the Euros, Southgate is expected to make only one adjustment to his team for Sunday’s match against Slovakia.
Slovakia advanced to the knockout stages as one of the top third-placed teams, and Three Lions legend Alan Shearer believes they will find it difficult to handle England.
He told Betfair: ‘There’s only one prediction for me here: England. They will improve. They’ve got to start clicking into third and fourth gear now.
‘So England, without doubt. I can see it being a convincing win, I hope so. This is the time they’ll put their foot on the gas.
‘They’ll show a lot more energy, they’ll show a lot more confidence. This is where the tournament will start for England.’
