WOULD YOU ADAM AND EVE IT?

Wharton's meteoric rise is a dream coming true

- Jeremy Cross

THE last time England were in the European Championship, Adam Wharton was cheering on his countrymen from a tent in Blackburn.

Fast forward 36 months and his rise to stardom has been so rapid that he is now in the Three Lions squad.

It is safe to assume that in 2021, as he watched England's agonising defeat by Italy on penalties in the Wembley final, he did not expect to be where he is now.

But Crystal Palace's midfield sensation is so laid back it is tough to work out if the reality of it all has even hit him.

Wharton, 20, said: "My first England memory would probably be the 2010 World Cup, England v Germany.

"The collared shirt, the red numbers on the front. Then for the Euros, for the final, I was staying in digs at Blackburn.

"There is a hotel-bar place around the corner. They had a tent up and a few were in there cheering the lads on.