England at Euro 2024: Adam Wharton ‘ready’ to fill Kalvin Phillips role

Adam Wharton says he could replace Kalvin Phillips in Gareth Southgate’s England midfield at Euro 2024.

Right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold started both of England’s group matches in midfield, a move Southgate admitted “is an experiment”.

Wharton, who joined Crystal Palace from Blackburn on February 1, is one of the potential candidates to replace him and play alongside Declan Rice.

“I am convinced that no matter who, where, when I play football, I can influence a match, so you have to think like that,” said the 20-year-old.

“If I think I can’t handle this, then what am I doing here? The way I see it now, I believe I can influence any game I play, so I “Just make sure I’m ready if I’m called upon to help.”

Phillips started every game as England reached the Euro 2020 final and was named England Player of the Year that season.

But after joining Manchester City from Leeds in 2022, he struggled for first-team play, and a poor loan spell at West Ham saw him drop out of the England squad.

After the 1-1 draw with Denmark in Frankfurt on Thursday, Southgate said “we don’t have a natural replacement for Kalvin Phillips”.

Former Blackburn midfielder Wharton, who has only played 28 minutes for England so far, said: “You look at the last Euro and Kalvin was one of England’s best players and we reached the final.

“If there was someone like that playing in this tournament, you would say the same thing, I think.

“It’s hard to say because I haven’t seen him much in the last couple of seasons. But there are probably some similarities in the way we play and in some attributes, but obviously there will be things in which he will be better than me and I am better than him.

England face Slovenia on Tuesday (8:00 p.m. BST) as they bid to top Group C ahead of the round of 16.