Wayne Rooney Picks Player To Drop For Cole Palmer In England FIFA World Cup Team

Last Updated:May 23, 2026, 17:05 IST

Wayne Rooney questions Noni Madueke over Cole Palmer in England World Cup team, as Thomas Tuchel defends dropping Palmer on recent club form.

Former England footballer Wayne Rooney has said that Arsenal winger Noni Madueke could have made way for Chelsea’s Cole Palmer in England’s FIFA World Cup squad. He claimed that the latter would have been a better backup for Bukayo Saka than Madueke.

Speaking on The Wayne Rooney Show, Rooney said that Madueke hadn’t done enough for Arsenal this season to justify a place, adding that Palmer had been the superior footballer during the 2025-26 campaign.

Thomas Tuchel left out multiple high-profile names from England’s team for the FIFA World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, including Phil Foden, Palmer and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

“Cole? I would, yeah, but that is a call he has made. And if you look, it has not fared too badly for Arsenal this season. Having Saka and Madueke back up," Rooney said.

Palmer and Foden were instrumental in England’s run to the Euro 2024 final. But the Chelsea playmaker and Manchester City star have paid the price for underwhelming seasons at club level.

Tuchel explained that form played a major role in his decision to leave out Palmer, adding that the midfielder hadn’t done enough during his chances with the national team.

“I think he (Palmer) suffers from, first of all, a lack of individual form within the club; he wasn’t as decisive or as influential as he was in the last seasons, throughout the whole season," Tuchel said.

“His record with us was just not outstanding, not good enough to make him ‘no matter what, he is coming.’ That is just the reality of it. He pulled out several times, had to pull out several times, injured and when he was in camp, he didn’t have the impact that we all wanted," Tuchel added.

Palmer scored for England in the UEFA Euro 2024 Final, but the team suffered a 2-1 loss to Spain.

News sports football Wayne Rooney Picks Player To Drop For Cole Palmer In England FIFA World Cup Team

Read More