Former Man United defender wants Cole Palmer at Old Trafford

Former Manchester United defender Phil Bardsley has admitted he would love to see Chelsea star Cole Palmer move to Old Trafford, while openly hoping the London club's struggles continue.

Palmer has established himself as one of Chelsea's most important players since joining the club from Manchester City, producing a string of impressive performances despite the team's inconsistent results.

For Bardsley, the possibility of Palmer wearing the famous red shirt is particularly appealing.

Speaking to Casinolyze, the former United full-back suggested that Palmer has not appeared completely comfortable at Chelsea recently and believes Manchester United would be justified in monitoring his situation.

“I think Cole Palmer is the key to everything Chelsea are doing, but when I’ve watched him play over the last year or so, he hasn’t looked like a particularly happy player. He’s been going through the motions,” Bardsley said.

Palmer's importance to Chelsea makes any potential transfer extremely complicated, but Bardsley believes Manchester United should at least investigate whether there is an opportunity to bring him back to Manchester.

The midfielder was born in Manchester and came through Manchester City's academy before making his senior breakthrough at the Etihad Stadium.

Although Palmer has previously laughed off suggestions that he could return to Manchester, his family connections to the city have continued to fuel speculation.

Bardsley believes United would be foolish not to explore the possibility if Palmer's circumstances at Chelsea change.

“United would be silly not to have a real look at him if there is anything to it,” he added.

Bardsley also pointed to Chelsea's squad composition as a potential reason behind some of the team's difficulties.

While the strategy has produced exciting prospects, Bardsley believes a lack of experienced leaders could have affected the team's ability to maintain high standards.

“They’ve had a lot of inexperienced players at the club who have dropped below the standards needed, without people to get tough with them and lay down what’s required,” he said.

Bardsley made his Manchester United preference particularly clear when discussing Palmer's future.

Rather than hiding his allegiance, the former defender admitted that he would actually prefer Chelsea's situation to deteriorate if it increased the possibility of Palmer becoming available.

“I hope they don’t turn it around to make Palmer happy where he is because I’d love to see him in a red shirt!” Bardsley concluded.

Despite the speculation, a transfer to Manchester United would be extremely difficult to arrange.

Palmer is tied to a long-term contract at Chelsea that reportedly runs until 2033, giving the London club considerable control over his future.