Cole Palmer has sights set on quadruple

There are few players in the history of world football who could claim to have won four major trophies in the space of seven weeks but Cole Palmer is looking to do just that.

Palmer has been part of the all-conquering Manchester City squad who this month secured the first Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League treble in 24 years.

Now, Palmer has flown out to Romania and Georgia with the England men’s under-21 squad hoping to lift another trophy, the UEFA Under-21 Championship.

“When you look at the trophies we have won this season, it couldn’t have gone any better,” Palmer acknowledged when he spoke to England Football at St. George’s Park last week.

“It has been a great season and the emotions of the last week have been crazy – lifting the Premier League, beating Manchester United in the FA Cup final and then winning the Champions League.

“Hopefully we can now go on and lift the Under-21 EURO – it wouldn’t be a bad season for trophies, would it?”

There is no shortage of talent in Lee Carsley’s MU21 squad, with Emile Smith Rowe and Levi Colwill spending time with the England senior team in the past, Ben Johnson being part of the West Ham United squad who lifted the Europa Conference League recently and a host of other players playing regularly in the Premier League.

Morgan Gibbs-White, Anthony Gordon, Noni Madueke, Jacob Ramsey, Liverpool duo Harvey Elliott and Curtis Jones, Oliver Skipp… you could go on, as the squad is packed with players we have become accustomed to seeing on Match of the Day every Saturday night.

But Palmer made the point that it is no good having a hugely talented squad unless they all work together as a team.

The 21-year-old said: “It is down to us now. If we play well as a team, then we have a good chance [of winning the U-21 EURO]. If we go out there and play as a team of individuals, then it will be tough. So it is up to us to play well as a team.”

Palmer grew up in Wythenshawe and was first introduced to football by his dad Jermaine, who played for a pub team in Manchester.

The pair would go over to Hollyedge Park and then East Avenue Park to hone Palmer’s skills and it didn’t take long for the NJ Wythenshawe player to catch the eye of scouts.

The former Gatley Primary School and St Bede’s College pupil said: “My first memories of football were watching my dad play Sunday league football because I would go and watch him.

“I then started playing football with my dad down the park when I was really young, around the age of four or five.

“I ended up joining Manchester City at the age of six but I would still play football at break time with my friends at school and would carry on playing with my mates at Power League and stuff like that – I would do that until about a year ago.”

England MU21s kicked off their UEFA Under-21 Championship campaign on Thursday night with a 2-0 win over Czechia and they will be back in action on Sunday against Israel, with kick-off at 5pm BST and the match being shown live on UEFA.com.