England: Gareth Southgate eager to have closer look at wildcard Adam Wharton
Gareth Southgate praised the remarkable ascent of Adam Wharton, a young player from Crystal Palace, and expressed his eagerness to learn more about the midfielder.
On Tuesday, Southgate included Wharton as a surprising choice in his preliminary 33-player squad for the European Championship. This marks the end of an impressive season for the 19-year-old who came to Palace from Blackburn in January.
England's midfield currently has an opening, since Jordan Henderson was refused, Kalvin Phillips is hurt, and James Ward-Prowse was once again ignored. Southgate mentioned that 19 year old Kobbie Mainoo from Manchester United, along with Wharton and Curtis Jones who has not yet played for Liverpool, could all be potential beneficiaries of this situation.
The manager for England expressed amazement at Wharton's spectacular growth. He mentioned that if one were to compare Wharton and Mainoo's progress from just half a year ago, nobody would have foreseen the current discussion on their progress.
Adam Wharton and his fellow Crystal Palace teammate Eberechi Eze, who is also a member of the team, were featured in the squad photograph (taken by AFP through Getty Images).
The two lads have performed admirably. Wharton is adept in his technical skills and has excellent ball control. We are eager to learn more about his abilities.
Southgate made some significant decisions during player selection by excluding Henderson and Marcus Rashford. Additionally, he decided to choose young defenders Jarell Quansah and Jarrad Branthwaite.
According to Southgate, they have continually endeavored to make space for new and upcoming players. Despite people's perceptions that they have a preferred set of players, Southgate remarks that situations often shift.
In certain situations, the role necessitates the ability to make challenging choices. It is not recommended to avoid such circumstances. I believe I have never done so.
We currently don't have another player like Rice on our team. I can't help but wonder, "Who could we pair with Declan?" and "What would our team look like without him?"
According to Southgate, Conor Gallagher and Trent Alexander-Arnold have become the top choices with extensive experience to team up with Declan Rice. However, he mentioned that utilizing Jude Bellingham in a more dutiful role is also a possibility.
The boss confessed that Rice was left without backup due to the lack of an established substitute. Additionally, he disclosed that he had been deliberating on the worst-case situation of an injury to the Arsenal player for the past few months.
"We don't possess a player with a comparable stature to Rice," he remarked. "I have been pondering on the question, 'Who could match up to Declan?' and, 'What would we do if we didn't have Declan on our team?'"
