'He's committed' - Chelsea's Alonso defends Cole Palmer over England withdrawal

Palmer was called up by England manager Thomas Tuchel for UEFA Nations League matches against Spain, the Czech Republic and Croatia. However, the 24-year-old was forced to pull out after the injury flared up again.

Tuchel criticised Palmer's repeated absences, saying the Chelsea attacker "misses too many opportunities" to play for England.

Alonso insisted that Palmer remained committed to his country but needed to be fully fit to perform at his best.

"He's committed but he needs to be fully fit to play. We need him - the club and the national team," Alonso said.

The Chelsea manager added that Palmer had struggled with the problem during the recent match against Brentford, making recovery the priority.

"He's been feeling better this week. We used the first two weeks for him to recover. It's a little bit from the pubalgia (groin injury) he had," Alonso said.

Palmer's persistent fitness problems have disrupted his progress, with the forward previously missing out on England's World Cup squad after his form was affected by the injury.

Chelsea will hope to have him available as they prepare to host Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday.

Alonso's side begin the match in 10th place, while Bournemouth are 17th, with both teams looking to improve their league positions.