Cole Palmer has been accused of faking an injury to pull out of the England squad. Former West Ham United defender James Collins made the claim, suggesting the Chelsea forward withdrew because he was upset about his World Cup omission.

Palmer, 24, was named in Thomas Tuchel's squad for the upcoming Nations League matches against Spain, Czechia and Croatia. He was recalled after a strong start to the season with Chelsea, contributing four goals and two assists in seven appearances under Xabi Alonso. However, he reported a minor muscular issue after the squad announcement, leading to his withdrawal.

Chelsea are understood to be managing the muscle injury carefully. The club wants to avoid any risk with a player who has returned to decisive form this campaign.

Collins, speaking on a podcast, did not accept the injury explanation. "I would say that Cole Palmer had got the hump," he said. "He’s got the hump that he didn’t go to the World Cup, and he’s pulled out of the England squad."

Palmer was a surprise omission from England's World Cup squad earlier this year. The national team went on to have a successful tournament and currently leads their World Cup qualifying group with seven points from three games. They are one point clear of Croatia ahead of their next match, a home fixture against Spain on 26 September.

Tuchel has brought in Morgan Gibbs-White of Nottingham Forest and Everton's James Garner as replacements. Other withdrawals include Tino Livramento, Kobbie Mainoo, Marcus Rashford and Declan Rice. The manager opted not to call up Phil Foden or Crystal Palace's Adam Wharton.

England's injury list also includes Dan Burn, Dean Henderson, John Stones and Marcus Rashford, whose absence was confirmed earlier. The team's recent form shows four wins in their last five matches, including a 6-4 victory over France in July. Jude Bellingham is the side's top scorer this season with seven goals in eight appearances. The squad will regroup at St. George's Park next week to prepare for the Spain game.

This story first appeared at Daily Mirror Football