Cole Palmer has insisted he is ready to start for England at Euro 2024, but acknowledged the stiff competition for his place in the lineup.
Having scored a whopping 22 goals and provided 11 assists in the Premier League for Chelsea last season, many fans and pundits expected Palmer to feature heaving for the Three lions this summer.
However, the 22-year-old witnessed England labour to a 1-0 win against Serbia and a 1-1 draw against Denmark from the bench, before coming on for the final 20 minutes of their 0-0 stalemate with Slovenia on Tuesday night.
Palmer is acutely aware of the discussions surrounding his lack of action at the Euros but remains understanding of his place behind the likes of Arsenal's Bukayo Saka, Manchester City's Phil Foden, and Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham.
"You can see on social media what fans think," Palmer said. "There's loads of different teams people want to play, so it's normal. It's nice to see it but it's not up to them, is it?
"Personally I think I'm ready but it's not up to me. I will just wait for my time and when I get on I will just try to do what I do. I was excited to get on for 20 minutes and thought I was going to try to do something or make an impact.
"I wouldn't say I'm impatient because I know it's my first tournament and you've got players likeBukayo Saka,Phil FodenandJude Bellingham in my position so it is understandable. But I just want to get on and try to impress when I do."
England begin their knockout stage campaign on Sunday against Slovakia in the last 16.
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