'I think just about any team in the world would be very, very happy to take him. That is the definition of a world-class player' Pat Nevin's exciting Cole Palmer prediction

Former Chelsea winger Pat Nevin believes that Cole Palmer is a world-class player and expects a big season from the England attacker this year.

The 23-year-old was instrumental in Chelsea’s Club World Cup success earlier this month, scoring twice and laying on an assist in the Blues’ 3-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the final, as he took home the Golden Ball award for the tournament’s best player.

This came at the end of a campaign in which he did not quite reach the heights of the previous season when Palmer began his Stamford Bridge career in style, scoring 25 goals after his move from £40million move from Manchester City.

Pat Nevin on Cole Palmer’s ‘world class’ case

This is something that former Chelsea winger Pat Nevin has picked up on. “The comparison between Cole Palmer and Zinedine Zidane was fine a year ago,” Nevin told Compare.bet.

“It wasn't fine last year. But it could be fine again. Look, he is definitely a world class player. He's still very, very young.

“Remember back in the Euros and it was all about a lot of other players, Cole seemed to be sitting on the bench. And I was thinking, ‘What are you doing? Why are you doing that?’ He should be on.

“It doesn't matter who's the sexy player. It's who's doing the business. I think just about any team in the world would be very, very happy to take him. That is the definition of a world-class player.

“He's right up at the level. So Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, don't compare anyone with that because it's not fair.

“But the next level beneath, I think he's pretty close there already as it is, but he needs to do it year in, year out. And last year was quite a year.”

Nevin, who was ranked at no.23 in FourFourTwo’s list of Chelsea’s best-ever signings, believes that the Blues' transfer activity this summer will end up benefiting Palmer and aiding this task of delivering on a more consistent basis.

“What's going to help him this year is the players around him,” Nevin continues. “Estevao and Jamie Gittens, they're probably going to make it a bit easier for him and everybody else getting stronger.”