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• Palmer will become one of the world's best players, predicts Cucurella

  Cole Palmer will be among the very best players in the world if he continues on his current trajectory, believes the forward's Chelsea team-mate Marc Cucurella.

  Palmer enjoyed a magnificent debut campaign in 2023-24 after swapping Manchester City for Stamford Bridge, with his 33 Premier League goal involvements (22 goals, 11 assists) the most of any player.

  After impressing for England at Euro 2024 – where he came off the bench to score in their 2-1 final defeat to Spain – Palmer has picked up where he left off this term, registering 11 goal contributions (six goals, five assists) to once again lead the charts.

  He became the first player in Premier League history to score four goals before half-time in a single game versus Brighton and Hove Albion in September, when he scooped the competition's Player of the Month award.

  Palmer also won England's Player of the Year award for last campaign and Cucurella, who was a key part of the Spain team that defeated the Three Lions in Berlin, believes he is destined for the very summit.

  "If you see him not in his kit you would never in your life say he was a footballer, but then on the pitch... he shoots and it doesn’t seem like he is hitting it hard but he scores," Cucurella said in an interview with The Guardian.

  "He's very different. I don't know how to explain it: he's special. We’re very lucky we have him. 

  "We [Spain] are lucky he didn’t play much in the Euros either because he came on and almost messed it up for us. 

  "If he carries on like this, he'll be among the best. He doesn't have much strength in the air, but if that’s his only problem, then he's all right."

   

  Chelsea are unbeaten in six Premier League games since going down 2-0 to champions City on matchday one, with boss Enzo Maresca winning the competition's Manager of the Month prize for September.

  Though it is still early days for the Italian coach, Cucurella says the Blues have lofty ambitions under him.

  "Our objective has to be to win a trophy," he said. "In the Conference League we can do something good, and the cups. 

  "Arsenal and City have been working in the same way for many years, the same idea, the same players, and I think we’re a bit far away from that. 

  "Liverpool too because it's been the same players. But we can get into the Champions League, that's the key objective."

• 'Hopefully I'll be going back to the Under-21s' – Carsley casts doubt on England prospects

  Lee Carsley suggested he would be happy to go back to coaching England's Under-21s in the wake of the Three Lions' defeat to Greece.

  England lost to Greece for the first time as a double from Vangelis Pavlidis, who netted the winner in second-half stoppage time, claimed a famous 2-1 victory for the visitors at Wembley.

  Jude Bellingham had slammed in an 87th-minute equaliser, which was England's first shot on target since the third minute of Thursday's Nations League match.

  Interim manager Carsley, who led the Under-21s to Euros glory last year, picked an attacking line-up that featured Bellingham, Cole Palmer, Phil Foden, Anthony Gordon and Bukayo Saka, but without a recognised striker in the absence of Harry Kane, England floundered.

  While the match stats were not overly in Greece's favour, with both sides having an equal number of shots and England actually creating more big chances (two to one), but the visitors did have three goals disallowed for offside.

  England's sorry performance sparked debate over Carsley's long-term suitability for the job of replacing Gareth Southgate on a permanent basis, and after the match, the former Republic of Ireland international said: "I was quite surprised after the last camp in terms of [reading] the job is mine and it is mine to lose and all the rest of it.

  "My remit has been clear. I'm doing three camps. There's three games left and then hopefully I'll be going back to the Under-21s. It has had almost no impact."

  Asked if he did not want the England job on a full-time basis, Carsley added: "I said at the start I wouldn't rule myself in or out, that's still the case.

  "I'm more than comfortable in my position. The remit was clear. I'm comfortable and confident with that.

  "After the first camp I didn't get too excited. I'm very aware that this job is one of the best jobs in the world. You've actually got a chance of winning. That's still the case."

  Greece, meanwhile, dedicated their win to George Baldock, the former Sheffield United full-back who died at the age of 31 earlier this week.

  "It was a very special day and match for us. Our thoughts are with George," said Pavlidis, who scored his first goals for Greece since June 2022 against Cyprus, ending a run of 14 games without a goal for the national side.

  "We are professionals and had to play the match. We gave our soul for him tonight. Today is not a day to talk about football. He was part of our team. We will miss him very much.

  "Also to wish strength to his family and not talk about football. The whole day was numb. We won tonight and don't want to celebrate. There are just no words."

• Record-breaking Root is England's 'greatest ever', says Pope

  Ollie Pope labelled Joe Root as England's "greatest ever batter" after the former Test captain helped inspire England to an emphatic win over Pakistan.

  Jack Leach took the three wickets England required on day five for the record-breaking innings and 47-run triumph, which handed the tourists a 1-0 lead in their three-match series.

  The win saw England become the first team in Test history to concede over 500 in the first innings, and still end up winning by an innings. 

  The turnaround was built on Harry Brook (317) and Root (262), as England amassed 823-7 before stand-in captain Pope declared, their highest total since 1938 and the fourth-highest in Test cricket history. 

  In the process, Root moved onto 12,664 runs in the longest format, seeing him surpass Alastair Cook (12,472) as England's all-time leading Test run scorer. 

  "What a player. I admire his consistency and longevity," Pope said of Root.

  "I think he is playing his best ever cricket. When he gets on a hot run, he makes it count, and he is England's greatest-ever batter.

  "He is a joy to be around in the changing room."

  While Root tallied up his highest Test score, Brook became the sixth England player to score a triple-century.

  Together, Root and Brook surpassed England's previous record partnership of 409 runs – set by Colin Cowdrey and Peter May against the West Indies in 1957.

  When Root, who is now England's record run scorer in Tests, eventually fell, it brought an end to a partnership of 454 - the fourth-highest in the history of the longest format.

  "From a personal point you want to put in those scores that's always the case for a batter, but it was a joy to watch the way Joe and Harry played," Pope said.

  "Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley were awesome too – it was a joy to watch, and they're great players."

  On the other hand, it was another humiliating defeat for Pakistan, who are enduring one of the worst periods in their history.

  Pakistan are now winless in their last 11 Test matches on home soil, but captain Shan Masood said England's impressive display is something his side can learn from.

  "Like I said, 220 in the third innings, depending on what kind of lead you have, can also be a good score," Masood said.

  "The trick for us is that we should learn from England as well, they found out ways to get those 20 wickets. You can't win Test matches without taking 20 wickets.

  "As a team, we have that second innings of batting to improve, but we must also take 20 wickets."