Gareth Southgate believes that Adam Wharton is the kind of midfielder his team has been missing “for seven or eight years”, but warned England fans not to expect him and Kobbie Mainoo to turn into Luka Modric and Toni Kroos overnight.
Wharton was one of five uncapped players named in Southgate’s 33-man provisional Euros squad last month and has made a strong first impression in training over the past week.
The 20-year-old spent the first half of the season playing Championship football at Blackburn, but joined Crystal Palace in an £18million move in January and bolted into England contention with a superb run of form under new Eagles boss Oliver Glasner.
“He has settled in really confidently with the ball,” Southgate said. “I like the fact he likes to play forward as quickly as he can.
“He sees pictures when he receives [the ball], and we have been short of these types of players for seven or eight years, if I am honest. At times, that has had an effect on the way we have been able to play.”
Wharton is not in line to start tonight’s friendly against Bosnia-Herzegovina at St James’ Park, with Southgate instead set to give Trent Alexander-Arnold the opportunity to prove himself in midfield alongside Declan Rice, after a frustrating knee injury ruled the Liverpool right-back out of March’s internationals.
Southgate has long viewed Alexander-Arnold as a potential solution to a problem position. However, the late emergences of Wharton and Mainoo — who was named man of the match in Manchester United’s FA Cup Final win nine days ago — have added to his options and allowed England to move on from struggling senior players in Jordan Henderson and Kalvin Phillips.
“There are obviously a couple of good technical players who have come through,” Southgate explained. “Kobbie is one. Adam Wharton is one.
“So, there is a bigger pool, but one of those boys was playing in the Championship earlier this year and the other was finding his feet for Manchester United. So, they are not Kroos and Modric in terms of experience, but the team will have a different feel and we think that’s the best route to go.”
Jude Bellingham, like Kroos and Modric, was part of the Real Madrid side that won the Champions League at Wembley on Saturday night and has been given permission to skip both tonight’s game and Friday’s friendly against Iceland at the national stadium before joining up with the squad refreshed next weekend.
John Stones is also being eased back in, having arrived in camp late following the FA Cup Final. He will sit out tonight’s game, as will Anthony Gordon and Bukayo Saka, who are being given more time to recover from the injuries that saw them miss the final weekend of the club season.
Southgate issued positive injury updates on Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire yesterday, suggesting the former now has a “good chance” of making the Euros, having described him as a “long shot” when naming his squad a fortnight ago. Neither, though, are fit to play tonight, while Harry Kane will be rested and Kieran Trippier handed the captain’s armband on his home ground.
In an experimental side, Cole Palmer is set to make his first England start, while Palace defender Marc Guehi will get the chance to put pressure on Maguire’s place.
