Cole Palmer "misses too many opportunities" to play for England after the Chelsea forward pulled out of the latest squad, says manager Thomas Tuchel. The withdrawal of Palmer came as a surprise as he has started all five of Chelsea's matches in the Premier League so far this season, though Tuchel says he had been playing with "discomfort and pain".

The 24-year-old was left out of the World Cup squad by Tuchel and has featured just three times since the German took charge of the Three Lions in January 2025. "My understanding is that he is playing with discomfort and pain, and he cannot compete at the highest level with discomfort and pain. So he withdrew and informed us, and Chelsea informed us," Tuchel said.

"For sure. It is a missed opportunity. He misses too many opportunities. I don't blame him for it. It is just a fact." Declan Rice, Tino Livramento, Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo are the other players who pulled out with injury. Tuchel said he was not worried that players may put their clubs above playing for their country.

The match against world champions Spain at Wembley on Saturday is England's first game since the end of the World Cup. Tuchel does not think there will be a negative reaction from the fans because of the semi-final loss to Argentina.