Former Chelsea player Pat Nevin has compared Blues star Cole Palmer to Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne.
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Palmer compared to De BruyneScored a hat-trick against EvertonEqualled Haaland's tally of 20 league goalsWHAT HAPPENED?
The ex-Blues winger claimed that Palmer can surpass City legend De Bruyne as he suggested that he has been taken aback by the youngster's sudden rise this season. The England international scored four times in the club's 6-0 win over Everton on Monday in the Premier League.
AdvertisementWHAT PAT NEVIN SAID
Speaking to , the Scot said, "I'm not surprised that Cole Palmer is this good, I'm just surprised he's this good this quickly. When he was at Manchester City I covered a few of his first games and I remember I almost shocked myself by saying that this guy could be the next Kevin De Bruyne. Just looking at him technically, as a player, he's got everything.
"But that's not the thing. The thing was that his teammates kept giving him the ball. He was playing for Manchester City coming off the bench and they were feeding him the ball, they were giving him the ball all the time. They'll know if somebody's not up to their standard from training. If they know you’re good enough it doesn't matter if you're aged 15 or 45 they'll give you the ball. I thought Chelsea won the biggest watch imaginable by getting him. But I didn’t think he would be this good this quick. That would be too much to ask for."
He added, "You have a look back at the likes of Kevin De Bruyne when he was at Cole Palmer’s age, was he as good? Was he at the top level in the Premier League scoring 20 goals? I'm not saying he's going to be a better player than Kevin De Bruyne – but he's got what it takes.
"He's absolutely got what it takes to be one of the very best in the business. Whether that's going to continue Chelsea all his career we don’t know, certainly it's the perfect place for him now. Some people crumble under that pressure and some people just flower – he's the latter."
GettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE
With the hat-trick against the Toffees, the 21-year-old has now equalled Erling Haaland's tally of 20 goals in the Premier League this season. In his last five league games, Palmer has netted 10 goals which include two trebles. Overall, he has netted 25 goals in the current season in 41 appearances across all competitions and has provided 13 assists.
(C)Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR CHELSEA?
Mauricio Pochettino's side will now shift their focus to the FA Cup where they are set to face reigning champions City in the semi-final on Saturday. Palmer and De Bruyne should square off in that one.
