Keane, Lineker, Shearer, Neville and others all agree on Chelsea star Cole Palmer's England performance

Chelsea star Cole Palmer is the talk of England after his refreshing substitute appearance for England during their goalless draw with Slovenia on Tuesday night. The Three Lions made it two draws out of three in their Euro 2024 campaign but managed to grab top place thanks to every other game in the group also finishing as a draw - bar their opening 1-0 win over Serbia.

Gareth Southgate’s men have disappointed so far, struggling to regularly create chances despite having - on paper - one of the strongest teams in the competition. Southgate has been a little stubborn with his selections so far, but Chelsea star Palmer did come off the bench in the 71st minute on Tuesday night, adding vibrance and creativity to an England side needing both. With that in mind, we have rounded up all that pundit have had to say about the Blues forward since the performance:

Roy Keane

"I think [Kobbie] Mainoo looked very comfortable out there,” Keane said on ITV. “The one I'm always excited to watch is [Cole] Palmer, he always has that x-factor. I know we were wondering why he didn't come on in that first or second game, but every time he gets the ball it looks like something is going to happen.

"There was certainly a bit more flow to their game the last 15 or 20 minutes. There was still no end product and they didn't really test the keeper, but there were one or two positives with the clean sheet. They need to show more quality in the attacking areas, but I do love Palmer, I think he's amazing."

He added: "Would you want to mark Palmer? You wouldn't want to play against him. He's so unpredictable, he can beat a man, go left or right. A lot of brilliant players affect the game, when he came on, you knew he was going to affect the game.

"Every time he got it, we were looking at him. I'm hard to impress and I'm thinking 'something is going to happen'. Every time he gets the ball you think something is going to happen. He will think he should be in that starting XI. He won't think 'I'm learning and I'm glad to be here'. He will be looking at Gareth [Southgate], like the big personalities do, thinking 'Get me out there'."

Gary Lineker

“There were downsides but I think there were real positives, particularly I thought when Cole Palmer came on,” Lineker told The Rest Is Football.

“We know we’ve got a lot of talented young players, but this kid he might well be the best of the lot. I don’t know we shall see. I don’t want to put too much pressure on him, but I don’t think he cares about pressure.”

Gary Neville

"Palmer did really well. Gordon showed glimpses. The team we finished with, you thought we can hang our hat on something here, “Neville told Sky Sports.

"I don't think there is any option. These players (Palmer, Gordon and Mainoo) are not only young but our best players in respect of ability and talent. That's the reason you can't hold them back. They're the best solutions for us at this moment in time to be more comfortable on the pitch. I understand the 'know-how' point about being around the block in tournaments, keeping clean sheets and stability to the team… but I think we have to try to free up a little bit.

"[Southgate] has got an arsenal of talent to call upon which is maybe making his job more difficult. But those lads did well when they came on. It's probably time now for them to be given their chance."

Alan Shearer

“The changes he made, albeit I think he made them far too late, in terms of Palmer and Gordon,” Shearer said on the Rest is Football Podcast. “That was an improvement, which has to give him something seriously to think about. Whether it’s he actually leaves Saka out and plays Palmer. “I think Palmer did really well when he came on. I love Saka as a footballer… He did amazingly well for the first 30 minutes of the first game, but he hasn’t done a lot since. And Palmer coming on in 20 minutes did really well. He put a couple of good balls in. And I love his attitude. I love his arrogance. I love all that about him.”

Jermain Defoe

“People have spoken about a lack of movement, that the team is not dynamic enough, but I think there has to be an identity,” Defoe told the PA news agency. “We are too good of a team, if you look at the players that we have – especially in the forward areas.

“Of course, if you spoke to the players, they know they take responsibility, they know it should be a lot better. Yes we have qualified, but it was more of a performance more than anything else everyone was looking for, a reaction from the first few games. But it is difficult because when you play against these teams who sit back, you have to move the ball quick and when you do create the chances then you have to take them.”

Defoe added on Palmer specifically: “I also felt Cole Palmer made a difference. How he has played with the season he had at Chelsea, he is someone that can just create something out of nothing.”