Adam Wharton vows to stay humble as he focuses on achieving World Cup dream | OneFootball

Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton is refusing to get carried away as he looks to book his place in England’s World Cup squad, insisting there is a long way to fall if you think you are on top of the world.

The 22-year-old star is currently with Thomas Tuchel’s England squad at St George’s Park, participating in the initial phase of the coach’s novel split camp, which features 35 players.

Wharton is keen to impress, hoping to add to his three caps in Friday’s friendly against Uruguay, building on his first England start against Albania in November, and ultimately securing a place on the plane to the United States this summer.

"I think it’s every young boy’s dream to be able to go to a World Cup to represent the country," he told talkSPORT.

"I’m going to try and impress as much as I can and try and play as well as I can up until the players get on that plane and hopefully I’m one of them. I think there’s still a few games to play before then so a lot to happen, but hopefully I can do well enough and show that I’m worthy of a ticket on the plane.

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Wharton is ignoring plaudits to focus on impressing for England (Getty Images)

“But there’s a lot of top players so I’m sure whoever gets the tickets will be worthy of them and definitely deserve to represent the country. I’m sure they’ll do the country proud."

Tuchel is known for his clear communication regarding competition within the squad, with Jordan Henderson and Elliot Anderson vying with Wharton for the number six role.

"Obviously I want to play as much as I can and try and help the team, but at the same time Jordan and Elliot are top players playing well this season, so it’s not going to be easy," the Blackburn product acknowledged.

"Football’s a game of opinion, so I’m sure whoever their manager chooses is going to do a great job and will give everything to help the team."

Wharton was part of Sir Gareth Southgate’s 26-man selection for Euro 2024 but did not feature in the tournament, despite an eye-catching debut against Bosnia in a warm-up friendly.

An unfortunate series of injuries has since limited him to just two caps, yet his stellar form with Palace has attracted admiring glances from clubs like Manchester United and garnered widespread praise.

While Wharton admits "it’s hard not to" hear the compliments, there is little chance of the level-headed midfielder becoming complacent.

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Wharton wants to catch the eye of Thomas Tuchel (Martin Rickett/PA) (PA Wire)

Asked if any particular comment had resonated with him, he responded: "No, not really. Off the top of my head I can’t really think of anything that sort of springs to mind, which I think is a good thing because then you might think about it too much.

“You might think, ‘Oh, you said this about me, so I’m on top of the world’ when in reality if you think you’re on top of the world then there’s a long way to fall.

“Nothing springs to mind. Just sort of listen to what the coaches say, the staff say because they’ve got my best interest and they want me to improve and help them as much as possible as well."