Cole Palmer leaves Alejandro Garnacho's brother with egg on his face

Cole Palmer has left Alejandro Garnacho’s brother red-faced – after he claimed the Englishman wouldn’t score 10 non-penalty league goals this season.

Chelsea’s talismanic maestro has kicked off this Premier League season as if he never left, already tallying six goals – four of which came in a single half in their last outing against Brighton – and four assists.

The Englishman is well on his way to matching his impressive feats from the following term, in which he found the net 22 times, assisted 11 more, and won the PFA Young Player of the Year award.

Yet, the brother of Manchester United ace Garnacho - who has started his season off in average fashion with just a single league strike and assist to his name - took it upon himself to predict Palmer’s regression after the Blues’ 2-0 opening defeat to Manchester City – and may be regretting his comment.

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Garnacho’s sibling Roberto took to social media back in August after Palmer failed to make much of an influence against his old club during Enzo Maresca’s first league game in charge.

“Cole Palmer isn’t hitting 10 goals without penalties,” he posted, forecasting the 22-year-old to have far less of an impact this campaign than last. Fans were quick to rebuke the statement, one posting: “You should know better… Why would you tweet something like this!”

Another added: “He scored 12 non-penalty goals last season, more than any of your forwards,” while a third wrote: “He obviously is. He’s a class player.”

Roberto did issue a reply to those doubting him at the time, confirming that he does rate Palmer highly, but cited the nine penalties he tucked away the previous season as pivotal to his success.

“He is [a class player]. I like him” Roberto replied to those doubting his claims about Palmer. “But the penalties last season helped him a lot.”

Despite it seeming after the opening clash that Maresca’s side wouldn’t be much of a threat this term, a quick turnaround spearheaded by the brilliant Palmer has seen them become a force to be reckoned with in the league.

The City defeat was quickly put behind them as a 6-2 away romping of Wolves followed. A toughly fought 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace was the last time the Blues dropped points in the league. Since then, they’ve put Bournemouth, West Ham, and Brighton to the sword, climbing to fourth and scoring the most goals in the league so far with 15.

Palmer has, as mentioned, six of those goals – five of which have not been from the spot. Already halfway to Roberto’s predicted tally of 10, barring a misfortune, it would seem as though the Red Devils star's brother may be ruing taking to social media with his conjecture.

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