Cole Palmer receives his first call-up to the England national team.

Chelsea's young talent , Cole Palmer, has been called up to the national team for the first time, following his impressive performances in the Premier League this season.

In preparation for the two Euro 2024 qualifying matches against Malta and North Macedonia, coach Gareth Southgate called up three new players: Palmer (Chelsea), Rico Lewis (Man City), and Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa).

Among them, Palmer stands out, having just scored the equalizer in Chelsea's 4-4 draw against Manchester City in the Premier League last weekend. Palmer is a product of Manchester City's academy, having played 41 games for the Etihad Stadium side and scored six goals. However, in the summer of 2023, he decided to move to Chelsea to get more playing time. After joining for $50 million, Palmer has played 11 games, scoring four goals and providing four assists for his new club.

Palmer successfully converted the penalty, helping Chelsea draw 4-4 with Man City at Stamford Bridge on November 12th. Photo: AP

The 21-year-old midfielder has also made 15 appearances for the England U21 team and scored four goals. Palmer was a key player in England's U21 European Championship victory last summer, where they defeated Spain in the final.

Palmer and Rico Lewis were called up to the squad partly due to the injury crisis sweeping through the England team. Attacking midfielder James Maddison was unable to join this training camp, while Jude Bellingham was included despite not being in top fitness.

Lewis is only 18 years old, but has already played 10 games in all competitions this season for Man City. Defender Konsa has played a major role in Aston Villa's impressive fifth-place finish in the Premier League. The 26-year-old will compete with Levi Colwill (Chelsea), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Harry Maguire (Man Utd), and Fikayo Tomori (AC Milan) for a starting spot at center-back in the England national team.

In attack, Raheem Sterling has yet to be called back to the national team, despite his recent strong form. The Chelsea striker has only played 150 minutes for the "Three Lions" in the last 12 months. On the wings, coach Southgate still prefers Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Buyako Saka, Marcus Rashford, or Jarrod Bowen.

England have already secured their place at Euro 2024. In Group C of the qualifiers, Southgate's team will host Malta at Wembley on November 17th, before traveling to North Macedonia three days later.

England squad list for November

Goalkeepers: Sam Johnstone (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal)

Defenders: Levi Colwill (Chelsea), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), Fikayo Tomori (AC Milan), Kieran Trippier (Newcastle United), Kyle Walker (Manchester City), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Rico Lewis (Manchester City)

Midfielders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea), Jordan Henderson (Al-Ettifaq), Kalvin Phillips (Manchester City), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Cole Palmer (Chelsea)

Forwards: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham United), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Jack Grealish (Manchester City), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa).

Vy Anh

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