Adam Wharton faces defining week for Crystal Palace and England | OneFootball

Adam Wharton enters a defining week, with Crystal Palace seeking a UEFA Conference League quarter-final place against AEK Larnaca on Thursday. The next day he hopes to make Thomas Tuchel’s final England squad before the World Cup for friendlies with Uruguay and Japan.

According to NY Times, expectation around the 22-year-old has grown through a demanding campaign. Palace head into a goalless second leg, with Larnaca having conceded only once in five games in this competition, and will look to Wharton to unlock a deep defence.

Wharton should be sharp after only the final 30 minutes of Sunday’s 0-0 draw with Leeds United, having been benched as Oliver Glasner preferred Will Hughes and Jefferson Lerma to match Leeds’ physicality.

Wharton says three-game weeks are physically manageable, though mental fatigue means switching off on rare days off is vital. He enjoys the workload, believes more minutes accelerate learning, and focuses on keeping his body ready.

After 3,522 minutes across 45 matches last season following his January move from Blackburn Rovers, he has 3,095 minutes in 40 games this term, missing only five and facing three-game weeks nine times.

His form has ebbed with Palace’s, but there have been highs, including two assists against Tottenham. Glasner hails his scanning and progression, notes a team-high seven assists, and urges greater end product in the final third, with Wharton yet to score for Palace.

A summer move may be less likely after Palace’s dip since December, and he would only leave for the right club with regular football. Regular minutes would also aid his England chances after Euro 2024, and he hopes strong Palace form will give him a World Cup chance.

Source: NY Times