Steve Bruce responds to claims Cole Palmer is faking injury to skip England duty – ‘Genuinely…’ | OneFootball

Steve Bruce hopes Cole Palmer and co aren’t faking injury to get out of England duty, feeling it’s a huge honour to represent your country.

Palmer missed the World Cup, with Thomas Tuchel opting against taking him following a lean season. But this term, the Chelsea playmaker has four goals and two assists, and was back in for the Three Lions.

But he was among a cohort of players who have ruled themselves out of the Nations League games through injury.

Alongside Palmer, Marcus Rashford, Kobbie Mainoo, Declan Rice and Tino Livramento are all missing from the original squad.

There have been claims of fake injuries, but Bruce hopes that’s not the case.

He told talkSPORT:”I never got an England cap. And the one thing, when I sit here now, I have that regret that I never represented my country.

“It is a strange one, that’s for sure. You just hope they genuinely have a knock and they need a rest for a couple of weeks.

“I feel for some of these lads, to be perfectly honest. They’ve had a long, long summer playing in World Cups.

“But to pull out, if you’re not quite right, is an awful conundrum.”

Cole Palmer thought to be faking it

Former Wales defender James Collins has suggested Palmer is faking injury so he doesn’t have to join up with England after his World Cup snub.

He said: “I would say that Cole Palmer had got the hump. He’s got the hump that he didn’t go to the World Cup, and he’s pulled out of the England squad. That’s my opinion.

“I don’t know the lad, but from an ex-player point of view, I think he’s got the hump.

“It sounds to me as an ex-player that he’s gone to the fitness coach at Chelsea and said, ‘really, I don’t fancy it, just say something.’

“It might not be that, but I’ve played the game, and that’s what it looks like to me.”

Palmer has missed only seven minutes in the Premier League this season, but he did have injury troubles last term, and therefore it’s surely better to be safe than risk getting injured again.

The midfielder would surely rather stay fit for the entire campaign than chance being sidelined again, especially after the great start he’s had with the Blues this term, alongside Morgan Rogers and Joao Pedro.