Cole Palmer sends Roy Keane message after getting annoyed before Chelsea clash vs Port Vale

Chelsea star Cole Palmer sent a message to Roy Keane after very nearly repeating his iconic tunnel walkout as captain

Cole Palmer was on the verge of emulating an iconic Roy Keane moment before Chelsea's FA Cup quarter-final against Port Vale. In the absence of the injured Reece James and suspended Enzo Fernandez, the 23-year-old was handed the captain's armband and very nearly repeated a memorable Keane decision.

In a TNT Sport clip from the tunnel that was uploaded to Instagram, Palmer can be heard saying: "Do we just go out?" That was because Vale were late out of their dressing room with a voice heard shouting "30 over" after Palmer's comment.

He later reposted the video to his own social media account with the caption: "I was this close @officialkeane16 [three laughing emojis]."

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Palmer was clearly referencing the moment Keane decided to stop waiting for Wolves players to join the United starting XI and opted to walk out in front of the referees back in 2004. Keane is a big fan of Palmer and regularly praises his displays for the Blues.

Despite his side's 7-0 win over Vale, Palmer was not on the score sheet even though it looked like he tucked home the third. Replays later showed his rebound from a Malo Gusto shot was going wide had it not been for Jordan Gabriel's attempted block.

Jorrel Hato, Joao Pedro, Tosin Adarabioyo, Alejandro Garnacho, Andrey Santos and Estevao were the other scorers, with the latter on target on his return to the starting XI from injury. Liam Rosenior still has a number of key players missing, with James, Trevoh Chalobah and Levi Colwill as defenders that are unavailable.

Jamie Gittens was on track to return over the weekend but was noticeably not named in the matchday squad, with Rosenior explaining a fresh injury blow was the reason for his absence.

He said: "Unfortunately, Jamie, in training yesterday, picked up what looks like a hamstring injury again. We have to scan him and make sure. It's a real shame for him, I think it's the third time it's happened. We need to help him and we need to make sure he's okay. I can't give you a time frame on that at the moment."

He will almost certainly join Fernandez in being unavailable for Chelsea's next clash, which is against Manchester City in the Premier League next Sunday.

The latter's expected absence is for disciplinary reasons following his controversial comments on his future at Stamford Bridge and transfer links to Real Madrid.

Rosenior confirmed that Marc Cucurella, who also spoke out against the club during the international break, was spoken to but not handed the same punishment as he was on the bench against Port Vale.

Moises Caicedo was one of nine alongside him, with the Chelsea midfielder also discussing a potential move to Los Blancos. However, he handled the question far better than Fernandez.

During an interview with Spanish outlet AS, Caicedo was specifically asked if he can "imagine himself in white". While smiling, as claimed by the Spanish outlet, he replied: "You never know in football, don't you think? I have a contract with Chelsea now.

"The truth is, I haven't honestly thought about another club, about leaving London, but well, in the end, you never know in football.

"All I want is to enjoy myself. I have a contract and I want to keep playing as long as God allows. After that, we'll see what happens. I have a contract, but we'll see what the future holds. Let's see what surprises await us."