Adam Wharton is embarking on his first full campaign as a Crystal Palace player this season.
The Crystal Palace No.20 enjoyed a rapid rise in football last term, going from a Championship player with Blackburn to an England international in just six months – following his £22m move to Selhurst Park.
However, it was a tough summer for the midfielder despite his surprise inclusion in Gareth Southgate’s UEFA Euro 2024 squad, as he watched the Three Lions lose 2-1 to Spain in the final, while also struggling with an injury which has been carried into this season.
So, what has Adam Wharton been doing to ensure he can still feature for Crystal Palace? Let’s take a look…
How Adam Wharton has dealt with niggling injury
A story from the Evening Standard now states that the 20-year-old has been taking painkillers to get himself through games for Crystal Palace this season.
It is said that the man born in Blackburn has decided to drop out of England U21 duty to let his groin problem heal over the international break – after Lee Carsley opted to leave Wharton out of his first England squad.
The Evening Standard add that Crystal Palace are optimistic Wharton will be available to face Leicester City at Selhurst Park on Saturday 14th September after the international break.
Despite his groin issues, the England international has only missed 14 minutes of Crystal Palace’s opening three Premier League games.
Oliver Glasner withdrew Wharton in the 76th minute of our 2-1 defeat against Brentford, but gave the midfield maestro 90 minutes in the 2-0 loss to West Ham and the 1-1 draw at Chelsea.
Crystal Palace No.20 deserves praise
Fair play to Wharton.
It would have been easy for the £22m man to tell Glasner he needed to be sidelined, but the Blackburn academy graduate clearly realised that Cheick Doucoure was not 100% fit after a setback this summer, while Jefferson Lerma was also not quite ready after his summer exploits at the Copa America with Colombia.
Wharton put his body on the line to ensure there was not an emergency in the midfield department, and hopefully, he can fully shake off this groin problem over the next two weeks.
