Chelsea interim manager Calum McFarlane has backed Cole Palmer to respond positively after the midfielder was left out of England’s latest squad.
The England announcement came as a surprise to many supporters, especially after Palmer’s strong performances this season.
However, McFarlane refused to criticise the national team’s decision and instead focused on supporting the player.
“I don’t want to comment on that,” McFarlane said. “The England manager has made a decision so it’s best to speak to him.”
Although disappointed by the situation, the Chelsea boss made it clear that the club still has complete confidence in Palmer and expects him to play an important role in Sunday’s match against Sunderland.
“We have full belief in Cole and we will be relying on him on Sunday,” he added.
McFarlane also revealed that Chelsea had not yet had enough time to fully discuss the reaction within the squad, as the England announcement was made shortly before training.
“In terms of Cole and the England announcement, we haven’t had time to speak or get a feel for the group,” he explained.
The interim manager used the opportunity to speak about handling setbacks in football, encouraging players to use disappointments as motivation for improvement.
“I think in life and in football, you need to take every setback as a positive,” he said. “There’s going to be lots of them. If you have the right mindset, you can turn it into a positive.”
