Cole Palmer Names Failed Man Utd Wonderkid & Neymar in Dream 5-a-Side Team

Cole Palmer made some interesting selections when asked to name his ideal five-a-side team.

Though the England international has struggled for goals across much of 2025, Palmer has established himself as a star with Chelsea since joining the club from Manchester City in 2023.

Recently, as part of media duties with the Blues, Palmer spoke to the Chelsea TikTok account and, as per United in Focus, put together his dream five-a-side team and the attacking midfielder, along with choosing some of the all-time greats, made one particular suggestion that could be considered as very unexpected.

Palmer Puts Together His Dream 5-A-Side Team

Palmer started by naming his goalkeeper, electing to choose Real Madrid number one Thibaut Courtois who, following a three-year loan in the Spanish capital with Atletico Madrid, established himself as Chelsea’s first choice for the next four years before joining his current team in 2018.

The Manchester City youth product then said:

The most eye-catching of Palmer’s selections, rather glaringly, was Ravel Morrison. A product of the Manchester United youth academy, the midfielder was regarded as one of his generation’s most promising prospects, though Morrison would struggle with disciplinary issues throughout his career, playing for a number of clubs after leaving Old Trafford in 2012. This, however, does not detract from the natural ability that Morrison, who now plays for Precision in the UAE, has always possessed.

Alongside Morrison are names that would be expected in most players’ five-a-side teams. Having also, naturally, put himself in the team, Palmer chose Neymar and Lionel Messi as the other two players in his side.

To many, Messi is the greatest player of all time. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, who has been with Inter Miami since 2023, spent nearly two full decades in the Barcelona first team, winning numerous honours that included four Champions Leagues.

The Argentinian joined Paris Saint-Germain in 2021 and though his output did not quite replicate the ridiculous standards he set with Barca, Messi still won several domestic honours, including two straight Ligue 1 titles, before his move to the United States.

Between 2013 and 2017, Messi was accompanied by Neymar, the other player named by Palmer. The Brazilian played a major part in Barcelona’s 2014/15 European treble win and was widely adored for the flair and dynamism he showed during his time in Catalonia.

In an effort to lead his own team, Neymar moved to PSG in 2017 for what remains a world record fee. Unfortunately for the winger, however, he faced struggles with injury that limited his appearances for the Parisians. He departed the club in the same year as Messi, spending two further years with his former teammate between 2021 and 2023.

It is a testament to how high a regard Morrison is held in by Palmer, firstly to be named in such a team, but then to be listed alongside such elite players. Had Morrison found more consistency in his early days as a player, then with the natural ability he had, he could certainly have enjoyed a career that was widely more remembered.