Alan Shearer says Chelsea and England star is in ‘horrible position’ | Football

Alan Shearer says Chelsea and England star Cole Palmer has been in a ‘horrible position’ due to his reoccurring injury problems.

Palmer has started less than half of Chelsea’s Premier League games this season as he has been dogged by a persistent groin injury.

The 23-year-old, a former Premier League Young Player of the Season, scored a hat-trick in Chelsea’s 3-1 win over Wolves on Saturday.

Those three goals almost doubled Palmer’s tally for the season, taking him from four Premier League goals to seven.

Premier League record goalscorer and ex-England striker Shearer had his fair share of injury setbacks during his career and says he ‘hated’ being in the position Palmer has found himself in this season.

‘It was really interesting listening to Cole Palmer after the [Wolves] game saying he’s having to manage his injury in a specific way,’ Shearer said on The Rest is Football podcast.

‘I hated being in that position as a player, when you know you need to get through an injury and you’re not being able to train as much as you want.

‘You get to the game, then you’re back to square one when it’s feeling okay. It’s a horrible position to be in that so the sooner he gets over that the better.’

Gary Lineker, who believes he suffered the exact same issue as Palmer, added: ‘I know that injury, funnily enough, I spent a year at Everton with that injury.

‘It was exactly the same as Cole Palmer’s one, it was niggly and I never trained, and that’s why people used to say he never trains, he just has a bath every day.

‘There was a reason for that. I was struggling. It never stopped me from playing, I could always play through it, but the niggle was there all of the time.

‘It wasn’t really until I had a break after the World Cup that it went away.

‘It’s a weird one, because it niggles you, once you play, you’re alright, but you can do something, and it stiffens up. It sounds like Cole is going through the same thing.’

Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior hailed Palmer as ‘world-class’ and ‘unstoppable’ following his hat-trick against bottom-placed Wolves.

‘We know what a world-class player he is,’ the new Stamford Bridge manager said. ‘He’s played a lot of football over the last year with not much rest.

‘When he’s at his best, he’s unstoppable. I’m delighted to be working with him.’

Speaking at his pre-Leeds United press conference on Monday afternoon, Rosenior confirmed Palmer came out of the Wolves win unscathed and was fit to start at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night.

‘Cole is available for tomorrow,’ Rosenior said. ‘I think any world-class player is important to what you want to achieve.

‘So for me, it’s been great to see him enjoying his football and on Saturday it’s been great to see him banging in the goals and hopefully his form continues in that way.’

Chelsea are fifth in the Premier League ahead of their clash with 16th-placed Leeds, one point outside the top-four places.

Palmer’s injury issues earlier in the season appeared to put his World Cup hopes in jeopardy but Danny Murphy says he is a ‘sure thing’ to be picked by England if he stays fit.

‘If he’s impacting games, like we know he can, from now to the end of the season, he’s a sure thing to be in the squad,’ the former Liverpool and England midfielder told BBC Sport.

‘He can play wide, he can play as a 10. He’s just so good on the ball and classy and simply doesn’t fear anybody.

‘Even if you bring him off the bench, you know he can do unbelievable things. He can win you a game in a heartbeat.’

Chelsea suffered a shock defeat to Leeds United the last time these two sides met in what turned out to be one of Enzo Maresca’s final games in charge.

The west Londoners have largely impressed since Rosenior replaced Maresca last month, winning seven of their last nine games, with the only two setbacks coming in either leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final against Arsenal.

‘I know they’re out of the Carabao Cup but he’s had a rally good start,’ Shearer said of Rosenior, who left French side Strasbourg to take charge of Chelsea.

‘They’ve got Leeds and Burnley next [in the Premier League] as well so it might get a bit tougher after that.

‘It’s been really good because you do feel like there’s some people who are waiting for Rosenior to fail but he can’t control that.

‘You can do and say whatever you like if you’re winning games. It’s going well for him.’

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