Crystal Palace's Adam Wharton during the FA Cup final (Image: PA)
Crystal Palace's Adam Wharton during the FA Cup final (Image: PA)
Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton will miss the England Under-21 training camp at St George's Park ahead of June’s European Championships in Slovakia.
The 21-year-old was included in Lee Carsley’s preliminary 29-man squad, which will be cut to 23, but has been excluded from early preparations after suffering a concussion during Palace’s FA Cup final victory over Manchester City.
Wharton joined Palace from Blackburn in February 2024 in a deal worth up to £22 million. He earned a senior England call-up last summer and travelled to Germany for the European Championships, but returned to Copers Cope with a groin injury despite not featuring in the tournament.
That injury sidelined him for four months following surgery, and his fitness struggles continued throughout Palace’s FA Cup-winning campaign, with the midfielder completing 90 minutes just three times this season.
Wharton was expected to play a key part in Carsley’s Under-21 squad as the Young Lions attempt to defend the Championship won two years ago. However, Eagles boss Oliver Glasner believes the midfielder needs time to rest after a meteoric rise over the past 18 months.
“He can't take part in the pre-tournament training camp because he's not allowed to do physical exercises at the moment, so he has to follow the concussion protocol.
“He can't remember the FA Cup final. That means it takes a little bit longer than just the usual seven days [to recover].
“I talked to him today, and he's still sleeping for two or three hours during the day, which is completely unusual for him. So that means some of his brain needs time to recover.
“I know our doctor and the English doctor are in contact and talking about it. Adam, I think he had three full games over the season.
“He had none after his injury because he always struggled with different problems. But if they call him up, we have to accept it.
“From a manager's side, this is a young man, 20 years of age, where so many things have happened in the last 18 months.
"He came from Blackburn, was nominated for the England senior side, and was part of the Euro team, watching the final with England. Before coming back injured and having surgery.
“He's on about 30% of the minutes. So he is number 13 or 14 in the squad for played minutes, and it just shows you can't cheat your body.
“If you are physically tired and you don't accept it, you will get injured. If you're mentally tired and you don't accept that, you get injured, because the body takes its time to rest, and obviously, this happened during the season.
“It's smart to give Adam time to rest. Everyone at Palace and everyone in England wants to get the best Adam Wharton he can be.
“And obviously, we couldn't see him all over the season on a very consistent basis because his body didn't fulfil its part. We have to be very careful with the concussion protocol."
Glasner also believes that players are being overloaded due to the lack of breaks in the football calendar, highlighting that some players can compete for three years without an extended break.
“It's not the absolute amount of games; it's just that they don't have time to rest. That's the difference.
“In the NBA, you play 82 games in the regular season and then the playoffs, but after that, you have three months off.
“On the other hand, if Adam plays the U21 or Chris (Richards) plays the Gold Cup, they would have three weeks off and then 11 months of competition.
“The others have eight months of competition, 10 weeks off, six weeks pre-season. Then you recharge your batteries mentally, and the body is recharged.
“This is the problem in football, that there's no break. It's not the amount of games. We had 48, so let's say with the internationals, they have maybe 55 up to 60.
“It’s possible to play that amount of games, but not when you are playing more or less three, four, or five years without having a break. That’s the problem."
Glasner added that he understands why Carsley wants the strongest squad possible, but stressed player welfare should be of the utmost importance.
“I talked to him, but when I talk to a player, it stays between us. He's in contact with the Under-21s manager. Our health is the most valuable thing we can have. We have to be very careful.
“I understand every international manager as well because if you play the Under-21 Euros and you are responsible for the team and you are the manager, you want to win.
“With England, you have a chance to win it. Otherwise, if you drop out after the group stage, maybe you get sacked. You are playing for your job and want to do the best you can.
“That's why I completely understand that everybody wants the best players available playing for their teams.
“But on the other side, we all have a bigger responsibility for the health of our players. Therefore, I don't need to call the manager.
“He doesn't need to call me, because he's in contact with Adam, and the doctors are talking to each other.
“So I can't explain the concussion protocol in detail because I don't know it in detail, but the thing I'm pretty sure of is that the best possible decision will be taken.”