Cole Palmer has Man United star Alejandro Garnacho's brother eating his words

Cole Palmer has left Alejandro Garnacho’s brother feeling embarrassed after his prediction that the Chelsea star wouldn’t score 10 non-penalty league goals this season looks set to be proved wrong. The English forward’s dynamic start to the Premier League season - highlighted by a sensational quadruple against Brighton - has seen him rack up six goals and four assists.

Last season, 22 goals and 11 assists saw Palmer win the PFA Young Player of the Year accolade after completing a £42.5m transfer from Manchester City.

Roberto, brother to Manchester United’s Garnacho - who has had a modest start to the season with just one league goal and an assist - publicly doubted Palmer following Chelsea's 2-0 loss to Manchester City on the opening day of the season as he Tweeted: "Cole Palmer isn't hitting 10 goals without penalties."

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After Palmer's explosive start, including a mesmerising four-goal haul in his last game, the social media football community wouldn't let Roberto's August claim go unnoticed. One fan quickly countered: "You should know better... Why would you tweet something like this!" Another responded with facts, pointing out: "He scored 12 non-penalty goals last season, more than any of your forwards," and yet another praised Palmer’s undeniable talent: "He obviously is. He's a class player."

Roberto responded to those who questioned his judgement, affirming that he does indeed rate Palmer highly. However, he pointed out that the nine penalties Palmer scored last season were crucial to his success, reports the Mirror.

"He is [a class player]. I like him," Roberto retorted to the sceptics about Palmer. "But the penalties last season helped him a lot."

Despite an initial impression that Maresca's team wouldn't pose much of a threat this season, a swift turnaround led by the outstanding Palmer has seen them emerge as a formidable force in the league.

The defeat to City was quickly forgotten with a 6-2 thrashing of Wolves away from home. A hard-fought 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace was the last time the Blues dropped points in the league.

Since then, they've defeated Bournemouth, West Ham, and Brighton, climbing to fourth place and scoring the most goals in the league so far with 15. Palmer has contributed six of those goals – five of which have not been penalties.

Already halfway to Roberto's predicted tally of 10, barring any misfortune, it seems likely that the Red Devils star's brother may regret his social media speculation.