Wharton talks England rise and Euro 2024 experience

Adam Wharton says England’s senior players have been a huge source of support as he settles in to a first major tournament with his country, after a remarkable rise from Championship to international football inside six months.

Wharton made his Premier League debut in February after joining Crystal Palace from Blackburn Rovers, and says his teammates Ebere Eze, Marc Guéhi and Dean Henderson have made his transition to the England squad easier.

“Especially it being my first camp, obviously it makes it a lot easier,” Wharton said. “I see them every day, so it definitely helped me settle in.

“It's great for me to have them around. It’s easy to chat to them and stuff like that. It’s also great for the Palace as a club.”

England’s other senior internationals, like Harry Kane and John Stones, have also supported Wharton’s integration.

“I think the amount of experience they've got as well – they've been through it,” he explained. “They know how we're feeling coming into the camp, so they've made it so easy.

“You can go chat to them if you need anything, need help with something on or off the pitch, and having that, especially coming in, makes it so much easier.

“It helps get the best out of you on the pitch as well, because then you know you can express yourself.”

Having risen so quickly through the ranks – Wharton only made his Under-21s debut in March – he is taking each day as it comes rather than focus on such a rapid progression to the senior side.

“If you asked me five months ago, I probably would have said [it wouldn’t happen] as well,” he admitted.

“It’s gone so fast. Still probably not even sunk in yet. The past five, six months, I'm just taking it as it goes, enjoying every moment. It's unbelievable, really.

“I've been playing football all my life, so the way I look at it. I'm there to play football. That's what I've been brought in at Palace to do.

“So I just focus on the football, everything around it, just sort of block it out. I know if I play how I know I can, then I'll be fine.

“I just focus on the football and don’t think too much about everything around it.”

Wharton is ready should Gareth Southgate call on him for the quarter-final against Switzerland on Saturday, with England looking to reach the semi-finals for the second successive tournament.

“It's obviously another good opportunity to create something special, to get to the semi-final of a major tournament,” he said.

“All the lads putting in the work, and hopefully it's going to be another good day for everyone in England.”