Owen Hargreaves feels ‘humble’ Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton can reach the highest level of the game, but tells him ‘don’t jump too soon’

Earlier this month, the former Blackburn Rovers midfielder regained his place in Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for the World Cup qualifier against Albania, after being forced to withdraw from the squad due to injury during his last call-up in September.

“The talent is clear, he’s going to try to impress us alongside Elliott Anderson and Jordan Henderson in defensive midfield,” Tuchel said. “I think it’s the right thing to do and it’s the right call-up to reward him.”

‘He can add a lot to the England squad’ – Wharton rates Wharton after his display at the Community Shield

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Wharton did not disappoint Tuchel or his country with a calm return to the international stage. And Hargreaves believes the 21-year-old will continue to have a glittering career filled with silverware.

“He’s a beautiful player,” Hargreaves told TNT Sports.

“He’s very smart. Everyone’s eyes are on the ball, but that kid is already scanning the ball, no matter where it is. He’s checking left and right, so he knows he’s probably the best first passer in the Premier League.”

“That means he understands it and has already made the decision. He plays for the first time before he sees it, because he has already seen it and that is a big asset at the highest level.”

“He just needs to play on the right team and have the right people around him, but given the level of his play, I love him. I think he’s a beautiful football player, smart, good kid, humble.”

‘Great talent’ Wharton can influence Tuchel’s thinking – Ferdinand

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“I think being humble is one of the most important things to have as a player. I don’t think there are any limits for Adam because he’s going to keep getting better. He just has to keep chipping away.”

“Don’t jump right away. Adam just seems to get it. The fact that he looks like he just gets it, there’s no greater compliment.”

“Glassner has not yet experienced pressure from a big club.”

Manager Oliver Glasner led Palace to FA Cup success last season against Manchester City in the final at Wembley, earning them a place in this season’s UEFA Conference League.

The Austrian’s stock continues to rise this season after impressive wins over Aston Villa and Liverpool in the Premier League, with his team currently in fifth place with 20 points after 12 games.

When asked to reflect on the job Glasner has done at Palace compared to the 12 months that Ruben Amorim endured at Old Trafford, Hargreaves said: “It comes down to expectations. It’s like playing for a small club in the Premier League and a big club signing you.”

“We need more players to score goals,” Glasner laments of missed opportunities.

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“There are different expectations and a lot more attention on you.

“At a team like Brighton or Leicester you might be able to afford to have an off game, but at one of the biggest teams you can’t really have an off day.

“At Palace, he did a great job…unexpectedly, he also did a great job at Wolfsburg and Frankfurt. He just goes and succeeds, but you’ve seen other managers like Graham Potter who were successful at smaller clubs go from Brighton to Chelsea…that’s different.

“For Glasner, hopefully he gets the chance that Thomas Frank had at Tottenham (we’ll see), but the level of expectations is completely different between a club like Palace and United.

“Of course the formation will be a feature (of Sunday’s game) because they play similar. But the expectations, the pressure… it’s completely different, almost two different stories.”