With the core group already in Thomas Tuchel’s mind for the World Cup this summer, Adam Wharton faced an anxious wait to learn whether he would be granted a supporting role in the England squad.
He didn’t make the cut, the Crystal Palace midfield missing out as Jordan Henderson and Kobbie Mainoo earned call-ups ahead of him.
Elliot Anderson and Declan Rice had already cemented themselves as Tuchel’s preferred midfield pair, with the England manager opting for physicality since taking the role in January 2025. Their boarding passes had long been printed.
Wharton would have offered something different stylistically, a variety England needed.
The Crystal Palace midfielder, who scored his first Premier League goal against Brentford on Sunday, is an outlier. England lack progressive midfielders within the talent pool. They have very few players who can open a game up with one pass. Wharton has that idiosyncratic ability.
