The Manchester United legend has recommended that Palmer be a regular starter for the Three Lions as they head into the knockout stage of Euro 2024. The Chelsea attacker invigorated England’s otherwise lacklustre performance against Slovenia in their final group game on Tuesday.

Palmer was brought on by Gareth Southgate in the 71st minute for his first appearance in a major tournament. He achieved a 100 per cent passing accuracy and created the best scoring opportunity for England, forcing Jan Oblak to make a low save in stoppage time.

Speaking on ITV after the match, Keane said, “I think [Kobbie] Mainoo looked very comfortable out there. The one I’m always excited to watch is [Cole] Palmer, he always has that x-factor. I know we were wondering why he didn’t come on in that first or second game, but every time he gets the ball it looks like something is going to happen.”

“There was certainly a bit more flow to their game the last 15 or 20 minutes. There was still no end product and they didn’t really test the keeper, but there were one or two positives with the clean sheet. They need to show more quality in the attacking areas, but I do love Palmer, I think he’s amazing.”

He added, “Would you want to mark Palmer? You wouldn’t want to play against him. He’s so unpredictable, he can beat a man, go left or right. A lot of brilliant players affect the game, when he came on, you knew he was going to affect the game.

“Every time he got it, we were looking at him. I’m hard to impress and I’m thinking ‘something is going to happen’. Every time he gets the ball you think something is going to happen. He will think he should be in that starting XI. He won’t think ‘I’m learning and I’m glad to be here’. He will be looking at Gareth [Southgate], like the big personalities do, thinking ‘Get me out there’.”

Southgate’s team may face the Netherlands in the round of 16 on Sunday, though their opponents have yet to be confirmed. The 53-year-old manager might consider making some lineup changes to rejuvenate the team ahead of the crucial knockout match.

Cole Palmer

This season he played in total 34 times for 2628 minutes for Premier League.

Cole Palmer scored 22 goals for Chelsea. He procured 11 assists. He received 7 yellow cards and no red cards.

His team is currently 7th in Premier League. In the last match Chelsea won 2-1 against AFC Bournemouth.

Chelsea performance and stats

Chelsea is currently 7th in the Premier League with 57 points.

In the last 38 games, it has won 18 times, drawn 9 times, and lost 11 times. In its last match, Chelsea won 2-1 against AFC Bournemouth.​​

It has a positive goal difference after scoring 73 goals and conceding 61.​