Cole Palmer's old manager made Lionel Messi remark – and it's ...

Mauricio Pochettino once likened Cole Palmer to Lionel Messi, and the England international has since shown that such praise was not misplaced.

Palmer emerged from Manchester City's youth ranks under Pep Guardiola in 2020, but with a squad brimming with talent, he struggled to secure regular first-team action ahead of stars like Phil Foden and Kevin De Bruyne. The now 22-year-old left the Etihad last September in a £40million move after making just 41 appearances across all competitions for City.

However, upon his arrival at Stamford Bridge, Pochettino made full use of the English forward, deploying him in various attacking roles for Chelsea and showcasing his versatility and immense potential. As a testament to his hard work, Palmer ended the 2023/24 Premier League season with an impressive tally of 22 goals and 11 assists from 33 games - helping Chelsea recover from a poor start to the campaign to secure a respectable sixth-place finish.

Despite his success, Palmer had his share of inconsistent performances, particularly evident during Chelsea's FA Cup run. One match that raised questions about his natural goal-scoring ability was a goalless draw against Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge in the fourth round back in January, where Palmer faced widespread criticism for squandering several significant opportunities.

When quizzed about Palmer's missed opportunity to net against Villa, Pochettino didn't hesitate to liken the youngster to a global superstar, saying: "No, I think he cannot score in every single game. If he did, we should maybe not call him Cole Palmer, we should call him maybe Leo [Messi],"reports the Mirror.

"No, it is not about his position and his potential is massive. It's just sometimes you score or not. Sometimes you have better nights but he is doing well. He is a player who can play in different positions and you can see and feel that we never talk about his performances because he is always doing really good.

"It's just that sometimes he scores or doesn't score, but he always finds amazing chances in the game." Despite Pochettino's departure and Enzo Maresca stepping in at the end of last season, Palmer has continued to thrive under the guidance of the Italian tactician. The young star kicked off the 2024/25 season under Maresca with a bang, notching two goals and four assists in his first five appearances before delivering a historic performance against Brighton in late September.

Palmer was simply electrifying during the game, netting four times in the opening half as Chelsea secured a 4-2 victory. After the match, Maresca couldn't hide his admiration for the prodigious midfielder, even suggesting that Palmer could be the Premier League's top talent.

He explained: "He scored four but he also could have scored two or three more. It's important he stays hungry, ambitious and I know him from many years ago with the under-23s at City and with the first team. What he was as a boy is exactly what he was three or four years ago.

"Goals, assists, best player of the Premier League this doesn't change the way he is. He's a humble guy and for me it's the most important thing. He's a top player and today in football young players can change quick. Cole scores goals and never changes and this is the most important thing.

"He's special player, he's a simple and humble guy. He doesn't need to tell people how good he is because you can see it clearly." Palmer will be aiming to extend his impressive Premier League form with a tally of 11 goals and six assists in 17 league games before Christmas Day as Chelsea head to Portman Road on Monday (December 30) for their clash against Ipswich Town.