Cole Palmer called up by England after his brilliant Chelsea form impressed Gareth Southgate, with Man City’s Rico Lewis also promoted to injury-hit senior squad for first time
- Cole Palmer scored the equalizer for Chelsea in a thrilling 4-4 draw against City
- The 21-year-old has flourished for the Blues since completing his £42.5million move
- Why We Should Be Excited About Cole Palmer – Listen to It’s All Coming Up here
Gareth Southgate is once again tapping into the England Under-21 talent pool by selecting Cole Palmer and Rico Lewis for this camp’s European Championship qualifiers.
The pair, both graduates of Manchester City’s academy, have been given a debut call-up to the senior side after impressing this season.
Palmer is flourishing following a £42.5million move from City to Chelsea, where he scored a dramatic late equalizer from the spot against his old club in Sunday’s pulsating 4-4 draw at Stamford Bridge.
The 21-year-old’s decision to leave the Etihad Stadium has already been justified, with more Premier League starts and four goals to his name.
Lewis has made 12 league starts, of which the pair have collected just 21 between them, but he has consistently drawn praise from Pep Guardiola for his versatility and maturity.
Cole Palmer has quickly established himself as a key player for Mauricio Pochettino at Chelsea
Rico Lewis was rewarded with a new five-year contract in the summer after his breakthrough year
Southgate has opted to fill the gaps in his injury-hit squad with youth players
Performances in the Champions League will have been enough for Southgate to secure promotion for the 18-year-old, who has excelled during always-on trips to RB Leipzig and Young Boys.
There were increasing calls to give young people a chance at senior level. With England having already qualified for next summer’s European Championship, Southgate has taken the opportunity to take a closer look at their development.
The England boss was pictured greeting both players in the St George’s Park gym during last month’s camp and they could now be ready for their debuts against Malta or North Macedonia.
Lee Carsley’s Under 21s will call up replacements ahead of their Euro 2025 qualifiers with Serbia and Northern Ireland as the defending champions look to bounce back from a shock defeat to Ukraine last month.