Noni Madueke wants to build on ‘great chemistry’ with Chelsea team-mate Cole Palmer for England - 'Long may it continue'

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Noni Madueke believes that playing with Cole Palmer at international youth level for eight years will prove invaluable, as the Chelsea winger looks to earn his first cap under new interim boss Lee Carsley. Palmer has withdrawn from the upcoming fixtures against the Republic of Ireland and Finland, but Madueke and fellow youth team graduate Morgan Gibbs-White are eager to make an impression.

‘Dream come true’ – Gomes and Gibbs-White ‘buzzing’ after earning England call-ups

Video credit: SNTV

New England call-up Noni Madueke has backed his relationship with Chelsea team-mate Cole Palmer to bear fruit on the international stage.

The 22-year-old winger earned his first inclusion in interim boss Lee Carsley’s maiden England squad, having won the Under-21 Euros under the same manager last summer.

And having featured alongside Palmer in England’s youth teams for eight years, Madueke is hopeful the pair’s chemistry on and off the pitch will translate to the senior side.

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“We’ve been playing with each other for eight years now, in the exact same positions that we are playing now, so it’s great that he’s my team-mate.

“We’ve got a good relationship off the pitch as well. But on the pitch, we really know each other’s games.

“It’s easy to play with someone like that, because he knows what I like to do and I know what he likes to do. We have a good chemistry, and long may it continue.

“I remember when he scored in the [Euro 2024] final, we were all in the group chat. It was crazy; we were so proud of him. He did really well, not just in the final but little cameos in other games.”

Palmer withdrew from Carsley’s squad to face the Republic of Ireland and Finland in the Nations League on Tuesday, citing “ongoing issues”, while he was also left out of Chelsea’s UEFA Conference League squad.

But Madueke will have the chance to prove his worth alongside fellow Under-21 Euros champions Angel Gomes, Morgan Gibbs-White, Anthony Gordon and Levi Colwill.

The former PSV attacker, who fired a hat-trick in The Blues' 6-2 win over Wolves last month, insisted that squad harmony was high at Cobham, despite an extremely high turnover of players.

“I’m happy I got the call-up and am just eager to show everyone what I can do,” Madueke said. “This season, I just wanted to play as well as possible.

“What I am doing for Chelsea is what has got me here, trying to be direct and score goals.”

Madueke told talkSPORT: “What you guys see [of Chelsea] on the outside is definitely slightly exaggerated. In the building, it’s a great place to be. But there’s a lot going on, with all the signings and turnover.

“[Enzo Maresca] is helping me a lot with my game. He’s a great tactician.”

Gibbs-White ‘buzzing’ for Carsley

Also eager to win his first England cap, Gibbs-White has praised his age-group manager Carsley, hinting that a permanent role could be on the cards if England impress in their coming fixtures.

The former Wolves attacker started and was sent off in England Under-21’s European Championship final victory over Spain in 2023.

And the 24-year-old was adamant that Carsley was “perfectly” suited to the England hotseat.

“I know how he works,” Gibbs-White said. “He’s great tactically and as a man-manager and I was buzzing when I heard he’d got the job. I felt he really deserves it and it suits him perfectly.

“Hopefully these games work out well for him and then you never know what the future holds. He’s told me to be myself, express myself; that’s the reason why I got the call-up.

“In terms of having a winning mentality at age-group level, winning trophies, winning tournaments… hopefully that is something I can bring to this squad.”

Gibbs-White has some task on his hands to displace the array of attacking talent ahead of him in the pecking order, but with Jude Bellingham and Palmer injured and Phil Foden suffering from illness, the Nottingham Forest man has a unique chance to impress.

“They [Bellingham, Palmer and Foden] are probably three of the best players in the world so to be behind them is a good and a bad thing,” said Gibbs-White.

“I need to concentrate on doing what I do best and hopefully the opportunity will come.”

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