Cole Palmer set to withdraw from England squad with minor injury

Cole Palmer is set to withdraw from England's squad for the coming Nations League games because of a minor injury.

The 24-year-old Chelsea forward had only just been recalled by head coach Thomas Tuchel after being left out of England's World Cup squad, according to BBC. The withdrawal has also been described as load management, a term clubs and countries use for resting a player to avoid a bigger injury, by The Athletic.

It is a blow to a fresh start. Tuchel said Palmer had a "point to prove" and needed "to step up" to keep his shirt and justify his recall.

England face a packed programme. The Nations League, UEFA's league-style competition for national teams, brings four games in an extended international break. England host Spain at Wembley on 26 September. They then travel to the Czech Republic on 29 September and to Croatia on 3 October, before hosting the Czech Republic on 6 October.

Palmer's club form had made the recall easy to understand. He played the full game for Chelsea in their 3-0 defeat at Brentford on Friday. After missing World Cup selection, he started six of Chelsea's seven games and played the full 90 minutes in five of them, scoring four goals and adding two assists.

Fitness is the wider context. Palmer was hampered by a recurring groin injury during the 2025-26 season. He last played for England in a 1-0 friendly defeat by Japan in March.

This was Tuchel's first squad announcement since the 2026 World Cup, according to Yahoo Sports. Right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold, now at Real Madrid, was the other high-profile recall after missing the tournament.

For fans, this means wait a little longer. Palmer looked ready to turn a summer disappointment into an autumn statement. That story is now on hold.