Cole Palmer sends clear message to Gareth Southgate, picks ideal England role

“And then there’s the draw and all that. You have to stand there and watch the others take the coin, the pressure gets higher and higher. In a game, if you miss your shot, there’s still time to do something, to score.

“Once you miss a penalty shootout, you don’t have time to redeem yourself. If you miss and everyone scores, it’s your fault. It’s just more pressure.”

Palmer will not shy away from taking responsibility if necessary. “I would have been picked out on the pitch and had no choice but to take a penalty,” he said. “I only took two penalties in shootouts and I missed one in the Youth Cup, but I was still a baby.”

Southgate has a wealth of penalty specialists at his disposal and he would almost certainly try to ensure Palmer and Ivan Toney are on the pitch if the shootout goes to a draw. And Palmer is a huge admirer of the Brentford striker’s penalty-taking prowess.

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Palmer said: “I like watching him take penalties because he’s different. He’s like a five-a-side footballer when the referee says ‘one step’. He comes up and scores. He reminds me of that. You know he’s going to score.”

Palmer made a significant impact when he came on as a 66th-minute substitute in a dramatic 2-1 win over Slovakia in Gelsenkirchen, with calls for the 22-year-old to be given a starting spot by Southgate.

Palmer said: “Of course I want to be a starter. Everyone wants to be a starter but if I’m not, I’ll have to make enough of an impact off the bench for the manager to make a decision.”

The former Manchester City player has been placed on the right by Southgate but is happy to play anywhere… as long as he can see the goal. When asked what his best position is, Palmer smiled: “Anywhere near the net! Maybe not on the left.”

“That said, I have nothing against the left side. Sometimes I like it when I cross the field and win the ball. I just come back to the right a few times.”

And his first thought when he crosses the white line? “Attack. That’s my only thought.”

And that should be music to the ears of England fans.

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