"The sky’s the limit for him."
Those were the words of Noni Madueke after Chelsea teammate Cole Palmer was named as England's Player of the Year for 2024 on Tuesday.
"I don’t know if he has a ceiling," Madueke, who scored the Blues' only goal in Sunday's 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest, told Chelsea's official website, reacting to the news of Palmer's achievement.
"I feel like the form that he’s showing now is incredible and I just hope he can continue that," he added.
Palmer, 22, scooped the award ahead of both Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham and Arsenal's Bukayo Saka following an impressive first year as an England international.
After making his Three Lions debut in November of last year, he went on to play a key role in England's run to the final of the European Championships in the summer.
Though he did not start a game for Gareth Southgate's team at the tournament, he made five appearances in total, setting up the winning goal in the semi-final and scoring himself in the final.
Previous winners of the award include Saka, Harry Kane, Wayne Rooney, and David Beckham.
"Privileged to be named @england player of the year!" Palmer wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of him holding his award.
Madueke wasn't the only Chelsea player to comment on Palmer after he was named England Player of the Year.
Speaking with The Guardian, Levi Colwill spoke of how difficult Palmer is to play against in training.
"You give him half a yard and it’s a goal," said Colwill. "He’s so laid-back about it and it’s so frustrating at times because he’ll put it through your legs and score, then walk off like nothing has happened. You can’t get him back, that is the worst thing about it."
He added: "Give him any chance outside the box or inside, it’s a 95% chance it will be a goal. You see that in most games."
Palmer joined Chelsea from Manchester City in the summer of 2023 for a fee of £40 million.
He went on to enjoy a phenomenal debut season at Stamford Bridge, scoring 27 goals and assisting 15 in all competitions.
He's enjoyed a similarly strong start to this season under new manager Enzo Maresca, scoring six, including all four in a 4-2 win over Brighton, and assisting five in just nine games.
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