Palmer is proving a point after delayed take off

WAKING up on his day off, Cole Palmer opened his phone to a message asking how quickly he could get to Manchester Airport.

- Dom Smith

Illness to Joao Cancelo had prompted Pep Guardiola to name Palmer in the Manchester City squad for the first time. It was June 25, 2020, and an 18-year-old Palmer flew to London to take his place on the bench against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Palmer took the same journey this summer, when he joined the Blues for £42million, and lit up the same fixture when he scored a dramatic late equaliser on Sunday.

His performance in that thrilling 4-4 draw convinced Gareth Southgate to hand him his first England call-up, and last night he joined up with the national squad at St George’s Park.

Judging by his sterling start at Chelsea, Palmer appears determined to make up for lost time.

He is still just 21, so has a long career ahead of him. But he spent three years on the fringes at City, finding first-team opportunities under Pep Guardiola hard to come by.

Despite scoring a stunning goal in the Community Shield against Arsenal in August and getting another goal against Sevilla in the UEFA Super Cup 10 days later, Palmer feared a fourth season on the periphery at City.