Roy Keane takes aim at Chelsea’s Cole Palmer over England withdrawal | Football
Roy Keane has criticised Cole Palmer over his decision to withdraw from England’s squad and claims the Chelsea midfielder ‘has too many bad habits’.
Palmer was initially selected for England’s Nations League fixtures but then withdrew from the squad alongside Declan Rice, Kobbie Mainoo, Marcus Rashford and Tino Livramento.
The Chelsea midfielder, who was not included in Thomas Tuchel’s squad for the World Cup in the summer, struggled with a groin injury for a large past of last season and said during a live stream on Twitch last week that ‘I had one leg for 10 months’.
Speaking before England’s 3-2 defeat to Spain at Wembley on Saturday night, Keane was dismissive of Palmer’s influence when asked about the Chelsea midfielder’s absence from the Tuchel’s squad.
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‘Well, I think, whatever his injuries, and if he is injured… I watched his last game against Brentford and if you think he’s going to get England to another level and win trophies, forget about it,’ Keane told ITV.
‘I like Palmer, he’s a talented boy, but he’s got far too many bad habits, for me.’
Earlier this week, Tuchel warned Palmer that he has missed ‘too many opportunities’ with England.
‘He misses too many camps,’ Tuchel said.
‘That’s the overall headline. We have a lot of invitations and he couldn’t make this one. It is what it is. I am not ready to focus on players who are not here. The players that are here have my full attention.
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‘It is a missed opportunity. He misses too many opportunities. I don’t blame him for it. It is just a fact.
‘He misses way too many camps with injuries, and I only want to rely on what I witness within my team, and for that you have to be in camp.’
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