England Under 21 Discussions Thread (2002+ born) #8

Rico Lewis: “I enjoy playing in midfield the most. As a kid you want to get goals and assists, that’s what you see on TV. That’s what I want to be in the future, but the manager decides where I’m most effective…” [via @ManCity]

— City Xtra (@City_Xtra) April 6, 2024

 

I stand by my judgment that Wharton will be in the full England squad by the end of the year. He's been awarded palace's best player every match so far bar yesterday where he came third. Even against city he stood out. He's the perfect number 6. He can see passes very few players can and his control in tight spaces is exemplary. We sold him for pittance. He'll be worth 50 million or more in a year

 

Fair play mate you did say he was destined for big things early on, not sure an England senior call up is on the cards this calendar year, think he could benefit with a campaign with Carsley in the 21s. We haven’t had a quality left footed central midfielder in the Seniors for quite some time, so I’m all for it in the long term.

 

Unlucky hes in era where the midfield options are this crazy. I mean the senior team could start with 2 U21 players in their midfield in the Euros.

 

If Saka were to get injured we could do worse than taking Harvey Elliott as a replacement. He's not too dissimilar to Saka when he plays on the right wing in terms of what he offers with ball retention and creativity.

Long-term he's a central midfielder but he still contributes a lot off the right.

 

He'll have to break into the U21 starting XI first.

 

He will. He's a better player than Morton who partnered him at rovers

 

Mentions he has a Spanish passport. I do wonder how long it will be until he switches to Spain if he moves there.

 

You always just automatically assume we're going to lose every single dual national battle

 

Spain are not Ireland. He needs to improve a lot to be in contention for England or Spain.

 

Central midfield is continuously Spain's strongest position, Patino would be nowhere near their under 21s right now. I don't think he'd even make the "development squad" for the England side at the moment either. To be honest I think his qualities on the ball have been vastly overrated, he's not actually that good in possession and he's so painfully slow off the ball its always going to be a struggle for him in England.

 

Why on earth would Spain need him? He is not good enough for the Championship at the moment.

 

Fireburn is a bloodhound sniffing out any players with grandparents from abroad

 

The Magpies' absentee list remains extensive, with up to thirteen players at risk of missing out.

'The closest player to coming back would be Tino Livramento. He has not trained with the team but has been out on the grass. Lewis Hall has not trained at all this week, so he is a…

— Ben Dinnery (@BenDinnery) April 12, 2024

 

🔵 Pochettino on Madueke: "When the club signed Cole Palmer, Noni was already here. It's about finding the dynamic where they can play together, it's about the balance".

"I hope Noni can grow, be consistent with his quality and so he can be an important player for Chelsea". pic.twitter.com/yTqCM0W8iC

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) April 12, 2024

 

Nice to see Bynoe Gittens get a well deserved start for Dortmund after an impressive performance off the bench in the UCL midweek against Atletico.

 

Adam Wharton vs Liverpool

25 passes
88% pass accuracy
1 shot
2/2 accurate long balls
1 key pass
6 tackles
1 interception
5 clearances
8/10 duels won

Fantastic player. One of the most exciting U21s in England. 🔝 pic.twitter.com/l7SUqTEeOs

— Football Talent Scout - Jacek Kulig (@FTalentScout) April 14, 2024

Good performance from Wharton. Palace's style means he's not on the ball as much as you'd like, which is a shame. Watching the game and the key difference between him and an average player like Hughes is his touch and composure. I think the reservation I'd have at the moment is his intensity. He does seem to have a more languid style, although his high tackle stats suggest he's got good anticipation.

 

I know it's premiership but it's not his debut season. Typical epl ignorance. He was superb Last season too.

 

That was one of the criticisms at rovers. He's too laid back. Certain players can get away with it. I think he's one of them

 

With England playing with better players he'll flourish. Looking forward too seeing a midfield of Bellingham rice and Wharton. Mainoo Is also another one I'm looking forward too. We have some real talent coming through in midfield. A far cry from 4 or 5 years ago

 

I've seen some criticism of him online from these (mostly self-proclaimed) tactical experts that off the ball he has some issues. In a setup like Palace have where the team is more compact then these issues are more compensated for. The challenge for him would be in a more expansive team with greater spaces allowed for the opposition. That said for his age he's certainly impressing and I think it would be a surprise at this point if he never played for England seniors.