It looks like Cole Palmer is going to be on the bench again for England tonight vs Slovenia, but his Chelsea team mate looks set to start the game.

Rio Ferdinand, a former Manchester United and England defender, has responded to reports about England’s selection news tonight including a Chelsea player.

It’s awful that Gareth Southgate is still ignoring Palmer after his amazing season, but that’s Southgate for you – a poor manager in my opinion. But let us focus on the good news in this case rather than Palmer’s failure to start.

Gallagher is poised to start tonight, replacing Trent Alexander Arnold in central midfield opposite Declan Rice, which is fantastic news for both him and Chelsea.

Gallagher has had a fantastic season for Chelsea, and while his contract situation and future at the club remain uncertain, he is still a Chelsea player for the time being, and he may well wind up remaining.

Ferdinand, on the other hand, does not seem particularly enthusiastic.

Rio did not sound impressed that Gallagher might start tonight, in fact!

According to X, Ferdinand responded to speculations of Gallagher beginning tonight: “No way. We’re attempting to gain control of the game, so we’ll bring Gallagher on. “No chance.”

To be honest, I believe he has a point here, but he is also neglecting what Gallagher provides, which is aggression, intensity, and strong pressing, all of which this England squad has lacked before the Euros began.

Rio, on the other hand, has a valid point when it comes to controlling games through possession, attacking, and inventiveness. Gallagher is fantastic, but he is more of a midfield destroyer than a player who will strengthen England’s flat and imbalanced assault.