Cole Palmer set to withdraw from Tuchel's England squad

Cole Palmer is set to withdraw from Thomas Tuchel's England squad, with Manchester United's Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo also doubts to join up, according to reports.

The Independent says Palmer is dealing with a small injury, though he played the full 90 minutes of Chelsea's 3-0 defeat at Brentford on Friday. Metro, citing The Athletic's David Ornstein, gives a different reason. It says the decision is that Palmer should sit out all four fixtures of the extended break, and puts it down to load management.

The 24-year-old was recalled by Tuchel last week after being left out of the World Cup squad. He is in the 27-man party for games against Spain, the Czech Republic (twice) and Croatia. He has played in all five of Chelsea's Premier League matches this season. Last season was disrupted by injuries, and he recently said on a Twitch stream that he "had one leg for 10 months".

Rashford and Mainoo both came off late in United's 1-1 draw at Fulham on Sunday. Michael Carrick, the United head coach, told beIN SPORTS: "We had to bring him off as he had a bit of an issue." Rashford appeared to be struggling with his hip, a problem that persisted over the summer. Mainoo, who went to the World Cup but did not play a minute under Tuchel, lasted 80 minutes before Mason Mount replaced him.

Palmer's absence would also mean his first recall since the World Cup goes unused.