Thomas Tuchel doubles down on Cole Palmer warning as England snub explained

Tuchel reiterated that Palmer 'misses too many opportunities to impress' for England, explaining the Chelsea forward's omission from squads for Croatia and Spain despite being fit.

Thomas Tuchel has doubled down on his criticism of Cole Palmer, explaining the Chelsea star's exclusion from England's latest 25-man squad for Nations League fixtures against Croatia and Spain this month.

Despite England staff conducting fitness checks with Chelsea this week ahead of squad selection, Palmer was left out. Chelsea confirmed the player is fit and was available for selection. Tuchel said: "Everyone is desperate to play for England, and Cole is no exception. But, again, what I said last time: he misses too many opportunities to impress. Two-and-a-half weeks was a long time [to miss]. The door is always open, but nothing has changed, and we decided [to go] without him."

Palmer has featured in only three of Tuchel's 26 matches in charge. The, former England head coach cited squad depth in attacking positions and the flexibility offered by new call-up Josh King as reasons for the decision. Tuchel also confirmed Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jobe Bellingham received his first senior England call-up, with potential opportunities in the midfield given Myles Lewis-Skelly's suspension for the Croatia match.