This summer will mark two years since Wharton’s England debut against Bosnia in June 2024, and his subsequent selection for the 2024 European Championships, where he helped the Three Lions all the way to the final.
The young midfielder has continued to improve at club level during that time, helping Palace to a historic first-ever pair of trophies and into Europe for the first time.
Looking back, Wharton reflected: “I think a lot's changed since then. But, yeah, I think I just have more of an understanding of the game, trying to become a bit more vocal on the pitch, especially at Palace.
“Being in the midfield, you have to speak a lot more. You have to speak with the defenders, then you've got the wide players and the strikers. You’ve got to speak a bit to everyone. It's about trying to just communicate more, because then it helps the team if everyone knows what they're doing.
“And then on the ball, off the ball, there a lot of different things that have changed, but I’m just trying to work on it all, really.
“With the gaffer at Palace, I’m just trying to take as much as I can from him. With the way we play, and then Europe's been different this year, so it's been a lot more on-the-ball for us, trying to keep the ball moving quick, and trying to break down \[teams\] a little bit, which we haven't really done a lot in the Premier League, because teams are more aggressive against us.”
“I don't think you could have written that script back then \[in 2024\]. It's been a very special journey – lots of ups and downs, lots of different paths taken that I probably would never have thought would happen. But I'm glad with how everything's gone.
“I'm just happy that I'm able to play football and express myself, and try and have a benefit on any team that I play with.”