The emerging Crystal Palace star's 28-minute cameo has set tongues wagging ahead of the tournament, and he could have a big role to play in Germany

Adam Wharton's meteoric rise reached new heights on Monday as he made his senior England debut against Bosnia and Herzogovina, just four months after leaving Championship side Blackburn Rovers for Crystal Palace in the Premier League. In the same way that the transition to the top flight came naturally to the 20-year-old, he took his international bow in stride in an impressive 28-minute cameo, adding a fresh dimension to the Three Lions' midfield that they have been sorely lacking.

Manager Gareth Southgate had admitted as much before the game, saying: "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." That was the case again at St James' Park as England toiled against Bosnia's low block for 60 minutes, only then edging into the lead courtesy of a Cole Palmer spot-kick after a questionable penalty decision.

Wharton was introduced immediately afterwards, and his brief display offered a tantalising glimpse of the possibilities at Euro 2024 for the England boss; he was simply immaculate on the ball, coolly dictating the tempo of the match and fundamentally improving England's approach play against an opponent set up not to concede, with the game opened up as the hosts added two more goals – leading to questions over Wharton's true nationality and whether he had somehow been plucked from under Spain's noses.

With the Three Lions set for some gruelling battles of attrition in the group stage, Wharton has demonstrated can be their lock-picker in Germany…

Statistically stellar

You would forgive most young players for shirking the spotlight on their international debut and trying to take the easy option, but Wharton was clearly determined to stick to the principles that caught Southgate's eye in the first place. That was exemplified by his first pass: a smooth ball eased around an opponent to find Jack Grealish in space, swiftly followed by a wicked first-time cross that deserved to be stuck into the back of the net.

It is no mean feat to make such an impact in such a brief time on the pitch, but Wharton finished the game with 100 percent passing accuracy (36/36), which included two key passes and that aforementioned cross, all of which came from just 37 touches of the ball – a reflection of aptitude for playing on the half-turn, taking as few touches as possible, giving and moving.

Per , the youngster became the first midfielder ever to attempt more than 30 passes on their England debut and complete every single one.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesBeauty in simplicity

Perhaps the most eye-catching aspect of this display was that seemingly innate ability to make the most simple things look so, so easy – the attribute that has earned Wharton comparisons to the golden generation of Spanish midfielders of the late noughties and early 2010s.

It seems that is something Southgate has been searching for for a long, long time. "There’s no question he has impressed us,” the manager said in his post-match press conference. "We saw things in his performances for his club. The biggest thing for us is that ability to see a picture and play the ball forward early. That sounds really simple, but that hasn’t been so simple for us over seven or eight years, that type of player."

The wonderful thing about Wharton from an England perspective is that he has the technique to match his footballing brain, oozing class each time he collected the ball on the half-turn, pivoted and played a smooth pass to his team-mate – always seeking to progress play as a priority rather than pass sideways.

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Despite having all the ability to do so, Wharton did not once look to play anything like a 'Hollywood pass', instead sticking to simple, progressive passes that were always considered and, evidently, assuredly accurate.

It is that knack for finding opponents in space with progressive, forward passes that could come in so very useful at Euro 2024. After all, there is a reason Bosnia were chosen as a pre-tournament opponent, with England's group-stage opponents Serbia, Denmark and Slovenia certain to set up defensively against one of the tournament favourites.

In his brief time on the pitch at St James' Park, Wharton showed he can be the player to unlock those low blocks in Germany. Often intelligently hanging back as England's deepest midfielder, he was able to find pockets of space to collect the ball on the half-turn, draw the press and then find a team-mate in space with a pinpoint forward ball.

The 20-year-old won't necessarily pick up assists, but as a space-spotter he can be the man to play the so-called pre-assist in the build-up as he finds room for his attacking colleagues to operate in. That was the case for Trent Alexander-Arnold's goal on Monday; it was Wharton who invited pressure on the edge of the box before shifting the ball to the available Grealish, who in turn stood up his marker before delivering an excellent cross which was expertly dispatched on the volley by the Liverpool full-back.

Meanwhile, the Blackburn product still had time to create a long-range opening for Harry Kane and combined nicely with James Maddison on the edge of the box, but it led to nothing.

Getty'Seen something in him'

One significant stride Wharton may have taken on the stairs to the plane to Germany is earning the respect and admiration of his peers, who you would think will want him by their side at the tournament proper. "There’s a lot still ahead of him, a lot of adjustment, but the [other England] players have recognised his quality," Southgate said after the Bosnia game. "When you see the positions the other players take, the way they interact with on the training pitch, you know the players have seen something in him.

"Whenever we call a new player in they always doubt what we’re doing, but then they work with these youngsters and they see why we’ve called them up. He showed in his little cameo what we’ve seen in training in the last week and what we’ve seen when we’ve watched him for his club. He’s adapted to everything really well."