Life of the England World Cup rejects: Cole Palmer and his girlfriend lap up the sun in Ibiza, Phil Foden’s at Disneyland – and Harry Maguire’s selling stickers at Rockefeller Centre!
Ignored by Thomas Tuchel this summer, England stars wasted no time in having fun as their team-mates chased World Cup glory.
Even a few months ago it would have been difficult to imagine an England squad without Harry Maguire, Cole Palmer, Phil Foden or three Premier League stars.
But amid problems with injury, form and competition for the position, the top-flight stalwarts have all been left behind.
For Chelsea star Palmer in particular, it allowed him to take some much-needed time off.
The Chelsea star was first spotted posing up a storm with Gary’s party manager brother at Wayne Lineker’s O Beach Club in Ibiza, days after the end of the Premier League season.
The retreat to the White Island must have been particularly strong, with Palmer returning this week with another group for a second trip to Spain.
Cole Palmer is one of several stars left out of the England squad who went on holiday (pictured with girlfriend Olivia Holder)
Former Manchester City teammate Phil Foden chose to visit Disneyland Paris with his family
Influencer sister Hallie Jennifer Palmer shared a photo of her brother traveling in modest circumstances, opting to take a Jet2 plane to reach the family’s destination.
While Palmer was accompanied by his girlfriend Olivia Holder, the duo was caught joking in the pool under the Spanish sun.
Palmer, however, appeared to have a good sense of humor about the conditions and shared a selection of photos from the summer without competitive action, captioning it: ‘could have been worse’.
Palmer will also benefit from rest after a busy season with little rest since Chelsea’s FIFA Club World Cup campaign.
The 24-year-old has since been battling a persistent groin injury which has partly affected his place in Tuchel’s squad and will be keen to return to full fitness before the start of the 2026-27 season under new manager Xabi Alonso.
Phil Foden has similarly focused on spending time with his loved ones after missing out on his place in the England squad.
Foden, who was kept out of the sidelines by in-form stars such as Anthony Gordon, Marcus Rashford and Morgan Rogers, opted to take his family to Disneyland instead.
Foden and his partner Rebecca Cooke, who shared photos of the family on his son Ronnie’s Instagram account, noted how they were “never bored” at the Magic Kingdom.
Foden made the most of the rare pause in his football schedule as the family enjoyed a holiday in sunny Marbella before the break.
Foden and Cooke also enjoyed the night when Tommy Fury beat Eddie Hall at the AO Arena in Manchester; But Eddie wanted his evening to be undisturbed by Only Fans model Lily Phillips.
The infamous content creator was captured walking towards Foden to speak to him as the pair sat ringside, but Cooke waved Phillips away.
The Chelsea star was able to enjoy the nightlife a little more than during the Premier League season.
Harry Maguire seized the opportunity to travel to America and enjoy a day at the US Open
He was also seen meeting fans in a surprise new role selling World Cup Panini stickers.
A left-behind England star is keen to keep football top of mind, with Maguire heading to New York to appear on Netflix streaming podcast The Rest Is Football as a special guest.
Maguire had previously holidayed to Barbados with his family but traveled to America to talk about his experiences with Thomas Tuchel and the England setup.
The Manchester United defender was also seen handing out Panini World Cup stickers at a stand at Rockefeller Centre; This both surprised and delighted his fans who unexpectedly encountered him.
Maguire remained on the same side of the Atlantic as his teammates with 33 annual tickets for the final day of the US Open at Shinnecock Hills.
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