Cole Palmer admits he thought his England call-up was a ‘BLAG’ – as he embraces Chelsea team-mate Conor Gallagher after earning maiden senior selection under Gareth Southgate 

• Palmer received his first senior England call-up after impressing for Chelsea
• The 21-year-old played a starring role in the Blues’ thrilling 4-4 draw with City
• What’s the story with Raheem Sterling? Listen to It’s All Kicking Off 

Cole Palmer has hilariously claimed that he initially thought his England call-up was a ‘blag’ in footage of the youngster joining up with the Three Lions squad for the first time. 

The 21-year-old was rewarded for his fine performances this term after Gareth Southgate was forced to draft in reinforcements to his injury-depleted side. 

Palmer, who scored a last-minute penalty for Chelsea against his former club Manchester City on Sunday, revealed that news of his inclusion in the squad for fixtures against Malta and North Macedonia came immediately after the game. 

And he initially suspected that it was a joke before becoming convinced by the authenticity of the memo. 

‘Right after the game it was,’ Palmer told Chelsea team-mate Conor Gallagher, who was unaware of his selection, in a video released by England on X, formerly Twitter. ‘I thought it was a blag at first. I Swear. But then it looked real so.’

Chelsea youngster Cole Palmer initially didn’t believe that the England call-up was genuine

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Gareth Southgate has seen he initial squad decimated by injuries, with five players forced to pull out and a further two joining up later on account of ‘personal matters’

The winger is joined by fellow debutants Rico Lewis, his former City team-mate, and Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa. 

After seeing his initial squad hampered by injuries to Lewis Dunk, James Maddison and Callum Wilson, Southgate suffered a double blow on Tuesday when Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham and Chelsea’s Levi Colwill were forced to withdraw. 

The pair underwent assessments by the England medical staff before being told they would play no part in the forthcoming fixtures because of the status of their injuries.

Bellingham has been suffering with a shoulder injury that ruled him out of miss Madrid’s LaLiga clash against Valencia on the weekend.

Colwill has also struggled with a shoulder injury and missed Chelsea’s clash with Manchester City as a result. Therefore, Marc Cucurella stepped in to replace him at left-back.

Southgate is also waiting on the arrival of Marcus Rashford and Kalvin Phillips as they have been afforded more time at home to deal some ‘personal matters’, according to the statement released on Tuesday.

The England boss is yet to decide if he will replace Bellingham and Colwill. 

IT’S ALL KICKING OFF! 

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It is available on MailOnline, Mail+, YouTube , Apple Music and Spotify

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