Southgate explains why he chose Cole Palmer over Sterling after Jude Bellingham withdrew.
Cole Palmer has call up to the England senior squad to replace Jude Bellingham, Who withdrew, while many were left wondering Why Raheem Sterling was not call up this time.
England manager Gareth Southgate has revealed the reason why. He call Chelsea midfielder Cole Palmer into the team instead of Raheem Sterling as many expected.
After Jude Bellingham withdrew from the Three Lions squad scheduled to play Malta and North Macedonia on November 18 and 21 in the Euro 2024 qualifying round, they have qualified. Having already made it to the final round, the 53-year-old manager call in a 21-year-old midfielder to take his place.
“As for Cole, the problem is we lost James Maddison. And Jude and we needed someone who could play as a number 10.”
“Obviously he plays wide at the club now. But we are not without players on the wings. We don’t have an attacking midfielder. We have 2-3 players who can come in and fill in here.”
“Raheem was outstanding last week against Manchester City, as was Cole, But positionality is the reason we brought Cole into the team,” Southgate told ยูฟ่าเบท