Gary Neville has called out Cole Palmer for his post-match chat with Pep Guardiola on the pitch after Chelsea lost 3-1 to Man City.
Palmer, 22, came through the academy at City under Guardiola but was sold to the west London club in the summer of 2023 after struggling for regular gametime.
The attacking midfielder has been a revelation at Chelsea, making a remarkable 60 goal contributions in just 70 appearances.
However, Palmer endured a rare off-night on his second return to the Etihad as Enzo Maresca's side succumbed to a disappointing defeat.
And after the game, Palmer enjoyed a long chat on the pitch with Guardiola where the pair could be seen laughing and smiling.
This sparked a heated response from Neville, who insisted that Palmer's behavior was inappropriate for the situation.
“I want to say something about Cole Palmer,” he told the Gary Neville Podcast. 'He spoke to Pep Guardiola on the pitch at the end of the game.
'And he smiled with him and he was… Pep Guardiola does that. (But) Cole, you're being played, you're being played here.
'You didn't do enough on that pitch in the second half. He's a great player, absolutely brilliant, but you know something… those Chelsea fans who traveled today, 3,000 to 4,000 in that far corner, they wanted better than that.
“They don't really want to see you talking to the opposition manager and smiling at the end of the game.”
Despite making his city debut at the age of 18 in September 2020, Palmer would only make 19 appearances for the club over the next three years as he fought for gametime with the likes of Phil Foden, Riyad Mahrez and Raheem Sterling.
Palmer ultimately made the decision to move on after making just three Premier League starts and Neville highlighted this as another reason why he should not be chatting and smiling with Guardiola on the pitch.
“I'm not old-fashioned here,” he added. 'But there was something about that when I thought Pep Guardiola is playing you here. I know he had it (but) he didn't play it here and he sold it. '
'I have an interview coming in. I'm not against that. Obviously he played for the manager. I just felt at the end that I didn't feel like I was from a Cole Palmer perspective.
'I don't look at why Pep Guardiola did it, that's what Pep Guardiola does, but I wouldn't (do that) if I had lost 3-1 away from home and been so disappointing.
'And Cole Palmer I expected more from him in the second half.'
Despite Palmer's disappointing evening – the second successive game in which the 22-year-old has not scored or assisted – he is in the midst of a good season.
The attacking midfielder has scored 14 goals and added six assists in 23 Premier League games.
Chelsea dropped to sixth after their defeat at the Etihad and return to action on Monday when they host West Ham.
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