Morgan Rogers Jokes About 'Break' From Cole Palmer Amid England Squad Absence

Morgan Rogers, a Chelsea teammate, joked that he is enjoying a brief respite from Cole Palmer, who has withdrawn from the England squad due to a minor muscular complaint. Rogers, however, clarified that his comments were lighthearted, emphasizing his close friendship with Palmer and his enjoyment of playing alongside him at Chelsea.

"I'm all right having the break from him, to be honest," Rogers said, smiling. "Being around him 24-7 can be quite tough, so having the break is quite nice."

He continued, "I love playing with Cole. I love being around him. Unfortunately, he couldn't be here, but he's got to focus on his body. He needs to be in a good physical state."

Rogers acknowledged the importance of Palmer for the national team but stressed the need for player management, especially given his history.

"Obviously, as a nation, you want Cole Palmer and players like that in an English shirt, but it's not what is possible with the games and what we've got coming up. You have to manage yourself, especially after what he went through last year, he doesn't want to go through that again."

Rogers, who joined Chelsea for a reported £117 million, aims to prove his worth to England.

"People are going to look at me differently," he stated. "People are going to judge me on probably a higher pedestal of what I'm delivering. For me, I can't get too bogged down in that. I can't control how people view me. I just want to give positive performances for my country and to achieve something special with my country."

He added, "I want to show what I'm about. That comes with a bit of pressure. I think I'm definitely in a better stead now to make a bigger stamp on England games and be more important in England games and in big games."

Reflecting on his move to Chelsea, Rogers described his start as a "10 out of 10" experience, despite a late-season dip in team performance.

"Ten!" Rogers exclaimed when asked for a rating. "I've enjoyed it. I'm happy. I'm enjoying my football. I'm feeling as good as I've ever felt playing, contributing, scoring, assisting, creating chances. I feel as good as I ever have done so far in my career. So why would it not be a 10? It's been challenging at times. Obviously, a good start, and then it tailed off a bit at the end, which is disappointing. But that's football, and I just can't wait to get going and keep going."

Rogers also addressed an incident with Declan Rice during a London derby, stating that any lingering bad feelings have been resolved.

"It's just competitors competing and wanting to win," he said. "London derby, me getting absolute dog’s abuse by the fans doesn’t help! All emotions come into one at that moment, but Dec and I are fine. We spoke about it after the game. We're completely fine."

He concluded, "It's actually a good thing – showing that we put friendships aside and just want to win for our clubs and do what it takes. Sometimes tempers rise a little, but it's all good."