Chelsea playmaker Cole Palmer said on Friday he has a point to prove this season after missing out on England's World Cup squad, while hailing new manager Xabi Alonso as a "breath of fresh air".
Palmer was a high-profile omission from Thomas Tuchel's World Cup line-up, despite playing a major role in England's run to the final of Euro 2024.
He ultimately paid the price for a poor season at Chelsea and said being overlooked hurt.
"It's like anything, if someone tells you're essentially not good enough to get in the squad, then you're going to think, 'all right' and try and go extra harder," he said in Sydney on Chelsea's pre-season tour.
Painful as it was to miss out on England's run to a third-place finish, Palmer enjoyed a rare seven-week summer break, which has him "fresh" and itching to get going again.
After a disappointing 10th-place finish last season, Chelsea has a new manager in Spanish great Alonso who Palmer is excited about.
"Him and his staff have been good. You know, a breath of fresh air for us players with his ideas and stuff. So yeah, we're enjoying it," he said.
Palmer is also ecstatic about Chelsea signing attacking midfielder Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa for a British record 117 million pounds ($157 million).
The two are close friends and Alonso said this week he expected the pair to "link really well".
"Everyone knows how good he is, and obviously he's one of my best friends. So I'm very happy about it," said Palmer of Rogers.
"I think we're two different players. He's more physical than me, on and off the ball. He likes to drive with it. I like to play passes, so I think we can play well together."
Chelsea began Alonso's reign on Tuesday by beating Western Sydney Wanderers 6-4, and will meet fellow English Premier League side Tottenham in Sydney on Saturday.