Cole Palmer earns Cristiano Ronaldo comparison as Chelsea star shares same special trait

Cole Palmer has been in sensational form since arriving at Stamford Bridge last summer, with Gary Neville claiming he shares a key trait with former Manchester United team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo

Gary Neville has spotted a quality in Cole Palmer identical to one he recognised in former team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo.

Neville, who shared glory days with Ronaldo at Old Trafford under the guidance of Sir Alex Ferguson, won numerous titles including three Premier League crowns and the coveted Champions League trophy. While contributing to Manchester United's backline as a solid defender, Neville witnessed Ronaldo's evolution upfront, netting 118 goals across his six-year tenure before his transfer to Real Madrid.

On The Overlap US YouTube channel, Neville underscored a key attribute he's observed in Palmer which echoes that of a younger Ronaldo during their partnership stint in the north west. The ex-defender said: "The big thing for me when I watch Chelsea play - and Ronaldo used to do this when he got to maturity level, 2006 to 2008 at Manchester United - he would play in the area of the pitch where his team needed him, and where he could do the most damage," reports the Mirror.

"I actually watched him in a game against Crystal Palace last season where they were struggling in the first half of the game, and he then went on to the right-hand side and he flipped his position. All of a sudden, Chelsea started to play, they started to create problems.

"So if Cole Palmer is playing centrally, he can basically cause problems - but if he's not, you can move him to the right, you can move him to the left, you can move him up top. And I think he's got to that point now whereby he's become Chelsea's most important player, but I think he's also a player that can dictate on the pitch where he plays.

"And I think you have to be very special to do that, because that was a license that I wasn't willing to give Ronaldo in those early days because he was stood in front of me on the right side, and he'd switch and go and play on the left and flip his position. Or he'd go and play centre forward and I'd be like 'Where's he gone?'.

READ MORE: Arsenal star Bukayo Saka is not world-class - I think Chelsea ace Cole Palmer is better

READ MORE: Nottingham Forest's Nuno Espirito Santo reveals Cole Palmer plan ahead of Chelsea test

"And then after about probably three or four months from that 2006 season, when he started scoring ten goals, fifteen goals, I think 'Hang on a minute, this guy knows what he's doing - he's preying on the weak point of the opposition team'. And I think that's what Cole Palmer does.

"I think Cole Palmer has an unbelievable understanding of the game, unbelievable technical ability, and also the composure in front of goal. When you put those three things together, that is really, really special - and you cannot believe right now, sat here, how City have got that one so wrong.

"Because we know they got a good price for him, but his trajectory is absolutely fantastic, and City don't normally get those ones wrong." Palmer climbed the ranks of Manchester City's youth system before penning his first professional contract with the club in 2020. However, he found regular playing time hard to come by under Pep Guardiola due to fierce competition from players like Riyad Mahrez and Phil Foden.

He made the switch to Chelsea during last year's summer transfer window for a cool £40million and immediately hit the ground running, largely thanks to his ability to play anywhere across the front three as well as in an attacking midfield role.

In his debut Premier League season with the Blues, he scored 22 goals and provided 11 assists. He's already off to a strong start this season too, with six goals and four assists to his name ahead of Sunday's clash with Nottingham Forest. His standout performance so far undoubtedly came in last weekend's 4-2 victory over Brighton, where he netted four times in the first half of the match.

football.london Chelsea WhatsApp channel

Want to keep up to date with the breaking and important Chelsea stories whilst on the move? Well now you can!

Click this link to follow the football.london Chelsea WhatsApp channel, where you'll be kept up to date on the latest Blues news wherever you are.

Just remember to turn on the notifications once you've followed, and you won't miss a beat!