Gareth Southgate paid Crystal Palace a mention when handing Adam Wharton his first cap for England.
The 20-year-old made his debut for the Three Lions in Monday’s 3-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina at St James’ Park, after a stunning end to the 2023/24 campaign under Oliver Glasner.
In doing so, Adam Wharton became the 1,282nd player to appear for England, and Southgate mentioned Crystal Palace when handing the midfield maestro his Legacy cap…
What Gareth Southgate said about Crystal Palace
The England boss, of course, played for Crystal Palace from 1988 to 1995 after emerging from the academy – going on to make a total of 117 appearances for the Eagles.
Southgate clearly still thinks fondly of his old club, as he told Wharton “always good to have a Crystal Palace man with us” when handing over the Legacy cap.
As you will know, the £22m playmaker is one of four Crystal Palace players currently in the squad alongside Ebere Eze, Marc Guehi and Dean Henderson, with no other club boasting more representatives in the England team than the Eagles.
That truly speaks volumes about the quality of Dougie Freedman’s recruitment, as we hardly have the largest budget in the Premier League when it comes to signing players.
Eagles could become the club of the moment
Much like when West Ham fans claim the Hammers won the 1966 World Cup for England – due to the heavy involvement of Bobby Moore, Sir Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters – Crystal Palace fans could lay claim to a similar statement if the Three Lions win UEFA EURO 2024.
The likes of Guehi, Eze and Wharton boast unique abilities within the England squad, specifically the latter two, and could well become key players as the tournament goes on.
READ MORE: Alan Pardew shares what people at Crystal Palace have told him about Adam Wharton
Therefore, if the Crystal Palace stars play crucial roles in a first ever EUROs win for England, it could propel the Eagles into becoming the club of the moment in English football.
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