Just five months after joining Crystal Palace from Championship side Blackburn Rovers, 20-year-old Adam Wharton was named in England manager Gareth Southgate’s provisional 33-man squad for Euro 2024 on Tuesday. This continues the youngster’s rapid rise with it being his first senior England call. Wharton signed for Crystal Palace from Blackburn Rovers for £18m, with add-ons taking it to £22m, on 1 February this year.
The midfielder only received his first under-21s call-up – and debut – in March but he has been hugely impressive in recent months, finishing the season with Palace on a high as the Eagles won six of their last seven fixtures. Head of Blackburn academy Stuart Jones said on Wharton: “In terms of his attributes, he was always an outstanding footballer, with intelligence and ability on the football. On the other side, he was a real humble young man.”
Wharton has made 16 league appearances since making the move to south London. He came to our academy and he had all the attributes to go on and be a top, top player. He sees things that possibly other players don’t see and he’s always shown that from a young age.