Crystal Palace star Adam Wharton was a surprise omission from the latest England squad for the September international break.
The midfielder has impressed at Selhurst Park since moving from Blackburn Rovers in January for a fee worth £22m.
At just 20 years old, he has already established himself as a regular for Oliver Glasner at the heart of his tactical setup.
It was those performances at the end of the last Premier League campaign which earned Adam Wharton a first call-up to the England national team squad for Euro 2024.
While the Palace ace didn’t make an appearance in the Three Lions’ run to the final of the competition, it did hint at many to come in the future.
As a result, it came as a slight shock when Wharton wasn’t named in interim manager Lee Carsley’s England squad for the September international break.
Why Adam Wharton was left out of the latest England squad
With Wharton left out of the latest England squad, many were confused about the decision to drop the youngster.
The midfielder has instead joined up with the under-21s squad for European Championships qualifiers against Northern Ireland and Austria.
On the decision, interim England boss Carsley said: “I thought about him [Adam Wharton] long and hard.
“He was a player we watched a lot last season. He’s a player who will be really important to us in the future. I think it will be good for him to go and have a few games for under-21s.
“So he’s not ruled out, he’s just not in this squad. When you come to the squad in October and November it will be different I’d imagine.”
It suggests that the Crystal Palace star could be involved again over the next couple of months, though there is no guarantee of that.
Adam Wharton’s England exclusion may be a boost for Crystal Palace
There will no doubt be some disappointment from Wharton surrounding the decision to leave him out of the England senior squad.
However, it may be an ideal decision for both him and Crystal Palace for the short-term impact on his fitness.
Glasner revealed that the former Blackburn man had been struggling with some slight fitness concerns related to pain in his body.
“Adam has had an unbelievable development here,” the Crystal Palace boss started. “Since he came back from the Euros he has had some issues with his body. Not big issues but a little bit here, a little bit there.
“It’s also why we gave him a break against Norwich. He’s not in his top fitness level and can’t be, he’s been training with us for three weeks but hasn’t been able to do every single training.
“It’s about load management and how much we can do to avoid making his problems worse and what does he need to improve his fitness levels.”
With both Wharton and Crystal Palace expecting a big season ahead, it may be better that he attempts to reach full physical condition before joining up with the senior England squad again.
