Chelsea informed England that Cole Palmer was fit for international duty, but the 24-year-old was still left out of Thomas Tuchel's squad for the upcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures against Croatia and world champions Spain.
According to football.london, the Three Lions contacted Chelsea to check on Palmer's fitness ahead of Friday's squad announcement, and the Blues confirmed he was fit and available for selection. Despite that, Tuchel opted instead for Borussia Dortmund's Jobe Bellingham and Fulham's Josh King.
Palmer has made a solid start to the season, recording three goals and three assists in nine Premier League appearances as Chelsea sit fourth in the table. He was previously called up for England duty in September but withdrew because of what was described as a "small injury".
Tuchel had said at the time that Palmer misses too many England camps, and following his latest squad announcement he indicated, as per The Mirror, that the forward's absence from international gatherings factors into his selection decisions.
Speaking on Friday, Tuchel said: "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 just said last time that he misses too many opportunities to impress."
He added: "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."
Tuchel continued: "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."
Palmer has earned nine of his 14 international caps in 2024, but has featured only three times for his country over the past two years.
The call-up of Jude Bellingham's younger brother Jobe has drawn plenty of attention and came somewhat unexpectedly. Explaining the decision, Tuchel said: "Lee Carsley has been talking highly about Jobe for weeks and months, that he deserves it if there is a spot and a possibility to join and to make an impression in the first team."
He added: "He had good matches and is on a good run of form with Dortmund so he deserves to be with us."
