Liam Rosenior has praised Cole Palmer's ‘magnificent’ behaviour after rumours he could join Manchester United were shot down by the Chelsea boss. It was suggested earlier this week that the England star was unsettled at Stamford Bridge just two-and-a-half years after signing for the club from Manchester City.

It was further suggested that he would be open to a move to Old Trafford. And while Palmer himself has yet to speak out, Blues boss Rosenior has been full of praise for his attitude over recent weeks.

Asked why Palmer was only a substitute against Napoli, the former Strasbourg boss said: “I think it's a combination of both. There was no way that Cole could have started this game and played through to 60, 70, 80 minutes, so I knew Napoli had had a difficult time with injuries.

“I felt that later in the game we would be stronger and I felt Cole's performance was magnificent. Not just his quality, his pressing, his running for the team. We need to look after him. He's had so many games over a long period of time.

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“We need to look after him and I think the way that he's managed himself in the last two weeks has been magnificent and hopefully we can now see the best of him now that he's fully fit. We need to see him absolutely relish nights like this on a big occasion.”

“He's a world-class player,” Rosenior added. “There's been a lot of talk about Cole - he was a very, very happy man in the changing room after the game.”

Rosenior’s comments come after he categorically ruled out selling Palmer any time soon. Speaking before Chelsea’s trip to Naples, he said: "There's no reason for assurance. It's so unrealistic. It's come from nowhere. There's nothing in it. There's no reason to have the conversation. That's where I'm at.

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"Cole is very happy. I've had numerous conversations with him. Our thoughts are on how we can make this team better, how he can improve and how I can help him.

"He loves being here and he wants to be a Chelsea player. You can't stop speculation, but some speculation is so far from the truth. There's no point in having a discussion about it."

Palmer signed for Chelsea for £40m in 2023 and he has gone on to make 111 appearances for the club, scoring 48 goals. He only signed a new contract extension in 2024, which sees him tied down until 2033.

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