Fulham’s King included in England squad as Palmer is left out
Fulham midfielder Josh King has been named in the England squad for the first time, but Chelsea’s Cole Palmer has been left out.
King has earned his first senior call-up for next week’s Nations League games against Croatia and Spain.
Palmer was overlooked for the World Cup squad in the summer after a stop-start season, and he withdrew from the last England camp with a minor fitness issue.
He scored in Chelsea’s win over Manchester United last weekend, but there is no place for him in Thomas Tuchel’s 25-man squad.
England boss Tuchel explained: “We have enough number 10s and we stick to the guys who were in the previous camp because we were happy with the two and a half weeks we had together.
“I guess everyone is desperate to play for England and Cole is no exception. We are speaking now about a player that is not in camp. It counts when you are in camp and I said last time that he misses too many opportunities to impress.
“It was a long camp, it was two and a half weeks, and the players and the boys who were in camp built something extraordinary.
“That’s why the credit goes to them, the trust is for them. If you are in camp, this is your chance to impress.
“So it’s not personal, and of course we will never assume that Cole is not in the mindset to come and desperate to play for his country, but the competition is on, and the players who were in camp did an amazing job and kept their place.
“We have Josh King as a new player in there, but I want to see him on both wings. He is kind of an extra player and he can play all four positions.”
Chelsea forward Morgan Rogers, who also scored against United, is included.
England play Croatia on Thursday 12 November and Spain on Sunday 15 November.
King has caught the eye for Fulham and has long been regarded as one of England’s brightest prospects.
But Tuchel insisted the youngster has been chosen for his attitude as well as his ability.
“He is just a fantastic character. He gives us a bit of flexibility,” said Tuchel.
“We decided to nominate 22 outfield players for flexibility in training and he is the extra player in training, if you will.
“He is an exciting player, a versatile player. In pre-season he helped us in training as a full-back, but we will not do that again.
“It is the attitude and the personality.”
Fulham head coach Alvaro Arbeloa, meanwhile, said: “I think it’s a special moment for him, for us as a club and obviously for our supporters.
“I think Josh is pride of our club, our supporters. He came to this club when he was eight years old and now, when you look at him, how he’s playing, how he’s performing and, yes, we are really proud of him.
“So I think it’s a big step for him and I’m so happy for him because he’s a very humble kid and you can see every day you want to improve, you want to work, you want to become a better player every day.
“So I think it’s a special day for him and for all of us.”
