Adam Wharton has revealed the text message he received from England manager Thomas Tuchel after the midfielder was left out of the England squad once again despite being in good form.
The 21-year-old has only played for England once, when he came on as a substitute in a 3-0 friendly win against Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2024.
Tuchel left a number of star players out of his England side, including Phil Foden, Jude Bellingham and Jack Grealish alongside Wharton, but the Crystal Palace midfielder has said he can’t “cry about it.”
He said: “He just gave me a message saying I'm playing well, I'm close and I deserve to be there but he's going to stick with the same team.
Adam Wharton has been playing well for Crystal Palace
|REUTERS
“That's football, I'm not too fussed about that. I can take the time off, go see my grandparents, and it's not the end of the world as there's another camp next month.
“I'm just focusing on Crystal Palace and playing well and hopefully if I play well I'll get the call.”
Competition in the midfield for Tuchel’s side is high, with Nottingham Forest pair Elliot Anderson and Morgan Gibbs-White in the squad, as is Brentford’s Jordan Henderson, AC Milan’s Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Arsenal’s Declan Rice and Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers.
Wharton revealed he took the message in a positive manner as he said: “It's nice to hear [what Tuchel said] but I think my focus is on Palace and if that goes well then England is just a bonus.
“Nothing is expected. England have some top players and he's got a lot of players to choose from.
“No matter who he picks someone is not going to get in and there will be a fuss about it.
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Thomas Tuchel left big names out of his England side alongside Adam Wharton
|REUTERS
“I can't sit here and cry about it, this is football and I'm happy playing for Palace and getting minutes and trying to do as well as I can and improve and if I get picked I get picked. If not I'll carry on playing for Palace and enjoying it – there's nothing else I can do really.”
Palace have been playing well this season and they are a real threat to the top five in the Premier League as well as the Champions League.
Despite losing to Everton in their last game, which ended their 19-game unbeaten run, they remain a strong contender.
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He concluded by saying: “Hopefully, obviously everyone wants to play for their country if they get chosen but, like I said, this is football and he's got plenty of top players to choose from and that's what he gets paid to do, pick the team and help England go well.
“Hopefully they kick on and get the results they need to qualify for the World Cup.
Adam Wharton is remaining confident he will work his way into the England squad
|REUTERS
“I'll keep knocking on the door and if I'm in, I'm in and if not I'll carry on.”
England will take on Wales on Thursday before taking on Latvia on October 14.