‘Unstoppable at his best’ – is Palmer in World Cup picture?

With the World Cup four months away, Cole Palmer provided a timely reminder of his talent on Saturday.

The Chelsea forward scored a first-half hat-trick as the Blues beat bottom-of-the-table Wolves 3-1 to remain firmly in the hunt for a top-four finish.

Two of those goals were penalties, with Palmer displaying his typically ice-cool demeanour to send the goalkeeper the wrong way both times.

Palmer has been dogged by a groin injury this season, and the three goals almost doubled his tally for the campaign – going from four Premier League goals to seven.

The performance also puts him firmly in the England squad conversation.

“If he’s impacting games, like we know he can, from now to the end of the season, he’s a sure thing to be in the squad,” former Liverpool and England midfielder Danny Murphy told BBC Sport.

“He can play wide, he can play as a 10. He’s just so good on the ball and classy and simply doesn’t fear anybody.

Palmer celebrated his opening goal against Wolves by covering his ears – a response, perhaps, to recent reports suggesting he is unsettled in London.

The former Manchester City player has had a difficult campaign in which injury has seen him in and out of the side, while under new head coach Liam Rosenior he has had his playing minutes carefully managed.

Since Rosenior became Chelsea boss at the start of this year he has often faced questions about Palmer’s form, fitness and state of mind.

This performance provided something of a direct response to those questions, but key for Palmer will be keeping it up.

“We know what a world-class player he is. He’s played a lot of football over the last year with not much rest,” said Rosenior.

“When he’s at his best, he’s unstoppable. I’m delighted to be working with him.”

If Palmer can now build momentum, he will be hitting form at just the right time.

He was a key player for England at Euro 2024 but has made just one appearance under current boss Thomas Tuchel – in a 1-0 win against Andorra last June.

Injuries have been a factor, but there is also competition for places – with the likes of Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers and Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham rivalling him for the number 10 role.

“At the moment it looks like Morgan Rogers and Jude Bellingham will be the two who are ahead of him,” said former Manchester City defender Nedum Onuoha on BBC Final Score.

“I’d be looking to find a way to get him in the side.”

When asked if he would select Palmer for England, former Blackburn and Chelsea striker Chris Sutton was a little more blunt: “Not at the minute, no. I’d play Rogers.”

England have two more friendlies lined up before the World Cup – against Uruguay on 27 March and Japan four days later – so that international camp will offer a big chance for players such as Palmer to impress Tuchel.

“I don’t think Cole [Palmer] is at his best yet,” said Murphy.

“Like a lot of players, when you have had a bad injury and you’ve had quite a lot of time out, it does take game time to get your rhythm and your sharpness back.