Chelsea boss plays down talk of Cole Palmer joining Manchester United and insists England star is not homesick

Liam Rosenior has rubbished suggestions Cole Palmer wants out of Chelsea and is missing Manchester.

Palmer moved to the West London club in 2023 after becoming frustrated with a lack of opportunity at Manchester City and has been linked with an improbable move back to the North West with Manchester United.

Rosenior said: “I’ve had numerous conversations with Cole and he seems very, very happy to be here. He’s a huge part of our plans in the long term. He’s an outstanding player.

“Every player goes through difficult moments in their careers in terms of injury. I don’t think it’s any reflection on his qualities. He’s an outstanding footballer. But my job and the club’s job is to get him in a place where he can consistently perform at the level that he wants to. And there was frustration in the Brentford game, not because he wasn’t happy here, just because he couldn’t perform. He was in pain. He couldn’t perform to the level he wanted to do for the club.

“He’s a great kid and he’s an outstanding player, but we have to make sure that we look after him in the right way. That’s why I didn’t involve him in the last game.”

Palmer a late call for Chelsea’s trip to Palace

The England international is battling to be fit for Sunday’s trip to Crystal Palace, a match Chelsea need to win to stand any chance of moving back into the top four in the Premier League.

The Blues have not won away from home in the league for two months and that is a record Rosenior is eager to change at Selhurst Park.

Rosenior added: “It sounds crazy. I haven’t even been aware of the record before I’ve been here. I’m focused on each game. It’s something I’m not paying attention to. I know that if this group of players perform in the manner that I expect them to, we have a great chance of winning any game against any team. We just have to focus on that going into Crystal Palace.”

Palace are an outstanding team despite problems, says Rosenior

Palace have had a turbulent week, selling captain Marc Guehi to Manchester City, losing at Sunderland, head coach Oliver Glasner announcing he will be leaving at the end of the season and star striker Jean-Philippe Mateta also wanting to quit the club.

Asked if it was the perfect time to play Palace, Rosenior said: “I think it can be reported in that way. What I do know is they’re an outstanding team. Selhurst Park is, for me, one of the most difficult places to go in the Premier League. You have to be ready for a physical battle.

“The atmosphere in the stadium is going to be red hot so we’re not taking the game lightly at all. I was fortunate enough to play against Crystal Palace early in the season [with Strasbourg]. I know what a good team they are and we’re going to have to be very, very good to win the game.”