LONDON: Morgan Rogers defended Cole Palmer's commitment to England on Thursday, saying any suggestion that his Chelsea teammate does not want to play for the national team "is a lie" and "nonsense."

Palmer, left out of England's World Cup squad this year after a persistent groin injury affected his form, was called up by coach Thomas Tuchel for Nations League fixtures against Spain, the Czech Republic and Croatia in September and October.

However, he was forced to pull out due to a recurrence of the issue, with Tuchel saying the 24-year-old "misses too many opportunities" and then leaving him out of the squad for this month's games.

Asked about Palmer's exclusion after England's 2-1 win over Croatia at Wembley, goalscorer Rogers told the BBC: "He wants to be here. He wanted to get called up and he wanted to come and represent his country as he always has done.