Joe Cole has hailed Cole Palmer as an "absolute genius" and believes the young star could be pivotal for England's chances at Euro 2024. The Chelsea sensation has been in scintillating form since his switch from Manchester City, bagging an impressive 20 goals and providing nine assists in what has been a stellar breakout season.

The 21-year-old forward is in the running for the Golden Boot, competing with ex-City colleague Erling Haaland, and seems a shoo-in for Gareth Southgate's squad aiming for European success this summer. Despite missing out on recent friendlies against Brazil and Belgium due to injury, Cole is convinced that Palmer can be the game-changer in Germany.

“He has been sensational and there is an argument he could be Player of the Year – that’s how good he has been,” Cole told the PA news agency. "You have to bring a player of that quality.

“The technicians are what are going to win us the tournament. They all have to go and they all have to have time on the pitch.

“Palmer is a top player. I have watched him play and he is a top, top player. Cole Palmer is an absolute genius.”

Cole also admires Palmer's strong mentality, which was on display when he opted not to cede a penalty chance to teammates Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke during an on-field dispute, even after netting a hat-trick in a resounding 6-0 victory over Everton. Palmer remained composed and slotted home his fourth goal, bringing his season total to an impressive 20.

Cole added: “It’s fantastic he has got that mindset – he is not a wallflower. He is a proper player, he will go anywhere on the pitch and take the ball, he backs himself.

“Sometimes people can look at that with disdain, saying it’s arrogance. It’s not arrogance. We need it and we need more players like that.”

Palmer is a special inclusion in Topps’ UEFA EURO 2024 sticker collection, where he is featured in the ‘Artist of the Game’ category. Cole said of collecting stickers: “It is a rite of passage. Everyone who loves football gets to that stage where you are collecting.

“It’s such a great thing to do, the trading, the anticipation of who you are going to get, who you need. It is just a great social thing for kids to do. It becomes nostalgic, it’s something that our parents did and our kids do, it’s part of our culture.”

Joe Cole was speaking to mark the launch of Topps’ official UEFA EURO 2024™ sticker collection, which is available to buy now.

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