Former Liverpool forward Emile Heskey has questioned Cole Palmer’s repeated England withdrawals.
Heskey also called for better communication between Chelsea and England’s medical team.
Thomas Tuchel recalled Palmer for the current international window. However, the Chelsea midfielder later withdrew from the squad.
Declan Rice, Kobbie Mainoo, Marcus Rashford and Tino Livramento also withdrew.
Heskey admitted that he struggles to understand Palmer’s situation. The former England striker wants greater clarity over the midfielder’s availability.
Palmer withdrawal a headscratcher
“I don’t understand why Cole Palmer doesn’t seem to want to play for England to be honest,” Heskey told 10bet.
“Surely the club and the national team should be communicating better to get to the bottom of why he can’t train and keeps pulling out of squads.”
Heskey believes England and Chelsea could find a way to manage Palmer’s workload.
The former Liverpool striker pointed to the importance of communication between both medical teams.
He also suggested that Palmer could remain involved without taking part in every training session.
Following King’s protocol
“I’d love to know what the dialogue is between the two medical teams,” Heskey added.
“When I was playing, Ledley King couldn’t train for the full week. He’d do his own regime, train on the Friday, and play on the Saturday.
“That works fine as long as everyone’s aligned, so he’s present to see tactical work even if he’s managing his physical load.”
Heskey questioned why Palmer could not potentially follow a similar arrangement with England.
“Pulling someone out of a squad without giving the national set-up a chance to manage him in the same way just seems odd,” he added.
Long-term impact for Palmer
Palmer’s latest withdrawal is another setback in his attempts to establish himself under Tuchel after the England boss initially recalled him for the September and October Nations League programme.
England have since continued without him, with Tuchel’s side producing a 7-0 victory over Croatia before facing Czechia at Wembley on Tuesday.
READ NEXT: Premier League: Guardiola backs Man City amid financial scandal as Klopp reacts to charges
