Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton was withdrawn from the England U21 squad on Tuesday due to an ongoing groin issue.
The 20-year-old, who was a surprise omission from Lee Carlsey’s first England squad, had been slated to feature for the U21s against Northern Ireland and Austria on September 6 & 9 respectively.
However, he has now returned to South London where he faces a race against time to be fit for the side’s next Premier League match against Leicester City.
Crystal Palace ‘optimistic’ over Adam Wharton return date
Wharton has struggled for fitness since the start of the new season, with Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner revealing that he had ‘fitness issues’ in the aftermath of Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Chelsea.
The Palace standout had a late start to pre-season after being part of an England squad that reached the 2024 Euros final in Germany.
“Since he came back from the Euros, he has had some issues with his body — not big issues but a little bit here, a little bit there,” Glasner detailed over the weekend.
“He’s not in his top fitness level. He’s been training with us for three weeks but hasn’t been able to do every single training.”
Nevertheless, according to the Evening Standard, The Eagles remain ‘optimistic’ that Wharton will recover in time for the side’s home clash against Leicester City on September 14 – where he could feature alongside new Crystal Palace signings Thevoh Chalobah and Maxence Lacroix.
Adam Wharton’s surprise omission from Lee Carsley’s England squad
It’s been a disappointing few days for Wharton, who was a surprise absentee from the latest England squad – selected by former U21 boss Carsley.
Speaking of his decision to leave out Wharton, the England interim boss stated: “I thought about him long and hard. He was a player we watched a lot last season.
“He’s a player who will be really important to us in the future. I think it will be good for him to go and have a few games for the U21s.”
Carsley instead opted to hand a first call-up to Lille midfielder and Spurs-linked Angel Gomes, who will be ecstatic for his first Three Lions start.
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