Of all the Chelsea players currently representing their country at the European championships, the lack of minutes given to one individual left many surprised.
Cole Palmer didn’t even get on the pitch for England as they edged past Serbia in the first group game.
While team mate Conor Gallagher played an important cameo in the second half, the double award winning Chelsea player was nowhere to be seen.
This was no doubt a surprise to many watching at home, and surely some of those in England white too who have had the opportunity to train and be alongside him in recent weeks at the camp.
Former Manchester City teammate Phil Foden came out and tipped him a big tournament in the whole, and now another Englishman has been full of praise for him.
Declan Rice was asked in a TikTok produced by the official England account to describe his teammates in one word.
Declan Rice has one word to describe Cole Palmer
After going for ‘hardworking’ to describe fellow Blue Gallagher, the midfielder was quick to give an answer when it came to Palmer.
He simply said: “Cold.”
The 22-year-old has developed somewhat of a reputation for himself for his ability to deal with pressure in the most high-profile moments of games.
Palmer expected to feature in the group stages
The most notable example of this has been when he had stepped up to take penalties, with him boasting a 100% record this season for both club and country.
It would certainly be a surprise if we didn’t see Palmer feature in any capacity in the second group game against Denmark, potentially starting one of the two remaining fixtures before the knockout stages.
There will no doubt be an appetite for a more pragmatic approach than what was on show earlier in the tournament, as the big boys all look to finally put a marker down to the rest of the competition.