Phil Jones: Barely-seen Crystal Palace starlet to ‘play a huge part’ for England at World Cup
Phil Jones has backed a Crystal Palace player with just one England cap to be a key man for Thomas Tuchel’s side at next summer’s World Cup, provided he can stay injury-free.
England are facing Andorra in their fourth 2026 World Cup qualifier on Saturday (6 September) with the aim to extend their 100% win record on the path to the finals in the USA.
Thomas Tuchel has overseen some relatively drab performances since he was appointed as the Three Lions’ new boss from the start of 2025, with a 3-1 friendly loss against Senegal in June highlighting their clear issues.
Nottingham Forest man Elliot Anderson has been named in the latest England squad as Tuchel aims to shake up his midfield options, with Ruben Loftus-Cheek also recalled to the Three Lions set up after six years away.
The German boss had to overlook Jude Bellingham for this round of fixtures due to injury, while John Stones was set to play in the middle of the park yet had to drop out earlier in the week, but ex-Man United defender Phil Jones believes that another midfielder could be the key to success if England do make it to the World Cup finals next summer.
Phil Jones thinks Adam Wharton will be the key for England at the World Cup if he stays fit
Crystal Palace youngster Adam Wharton has made just one appearance for the England national team as yet, after he was handed his international bow by Gareth Southgate last year in a friendly against Bosnia & Herzegovina.
He was named in Tuchel’s squad for this round of fixtures against Andorra and Serbia, but was forced to pull out last week after suffering an adductor injury in the Eagles’ win against Aston Villa on Sunday (31 August).
Wharton has been linked with the likes of Liverpool, Man United and Real Madrid in months gone by due to his stellar Palace performances, and former England international Jones admitted on BBC Radio 5 Live (via live text, 6 September 4:56) that he thinks the 21-year-old will be an important player for England at the World Cup, provided they qualify.
He said: “Adam Wharton is some player. Keeping him fit is the main thing. If you can get him fit for the World Cup – he will play a huge part. It is disappointing that he has missed this camp through injury.”
Adam Wharton needs to managed more carefully – he has picked up too many injuries in recent times
Football Insider verdict
Wharton became an instant starter at Selhurst Park at just 19-years-old upon his arrival from Blackburn Rovers in the 2024 January window, and he has remained as much when he has been fit, but that has not been as often as he would have liked.
He missed around four months of action with an ankle issue during his breakthrough 2022/23 campaign at Rovers, then stayed injury-free in 2023/24 before needing to undergo groin surgery in October 2024 ahead of a three-month layoff.
| Appearances | Assists | Yellow Cards |
| 49 | 6 | 5 |
The 21-year-old helped Palace to FA Cup glory in May after returning to action just after the turn of the year, but then was ruled out of the last three league games of the season, and he has now suffered yet another injury to stop him gaining valuable international experience.
He is clearly a top talent who could be a mainstay under Tuchel going forward into a massive tournament next year, but time is running out for him to stake a claim in his squad, and it is clear that his minutes need to be managed more carefully by Palace for him to stay off the treatment table over the next nine months.