England have made medical checks with Chelsea on Cole Palmer ahead of Thomas Tuchel naming his latest squad.
Palmer was named in Tuchel’s last squad but withdrew with a small injury. That prompted Tuchel, the England head coach, to claim the forward “missed too many opportunities” to play for the national side.
Tuchel has been considering whether to give Palmer another chance to prove his desire to play for England and Telegraph Sport understands medical checks on the player have been made with Chelsea.
England play two Nations League games against Croatia on November 12 at Wembley and Spain three days later in Madrid. Tuchel names his squad for those games on Friday morning.
It is routine practice for England to make medical checks on players under consideration for selection, although it does not guarantee them a place in Tuchel’s squad.
Palmer struggled with a groin issue last season that still needs to be treated carefully. Tuchel will be wary of calling up the 24-year-old if there is a chance of him having to pull out again.
Despite missing the last England camp through injury, Palmer has started all nine of Chelsea’s Premier League games this season and scored a penalty in his last outing against Manchester United.
Chelsea travel to Sunderland on Sunday for their final game before the international break.
Last month, Palmer signed a new Chelsea contract until 2034 and the message from inside the club has been that he is determined to win back his place in Tuchel’s squad.
Tuchel had admitted it was “hard to argue” with those who had questioned Palmer’s commitment to England after his fourth international withdrawal.
With the blessing of Chelsea, Palmer spent part of the last international break in the Caribbean with a personal rehabilitation coach and his girlfriend. He also visited a lavish five-star hotel near Ascot, where he was photographed by his girlfriend driving a golf cart in a bathrobe.
Other than having to decide whether to give Palmer another chance, Tuchel has decisions to make about his defenders and forwards.
Bukayo Saka’s absence may give his Arsenal team-mate Noni Madueke the chance of an England recall and Ben White and Djed Spence are also pushing for places. Trevoh Chalobah has been missing through injury for Como and is expected to be unavailable. Marcus Rashford is also likely to miss out through injury.
Like Palmer, England are understood to have made medical checks on White, who has made only two appearances for his country since March 2022.