Roy Keane is a fan of Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton, but has warned the talented Eagles star that he may be a “bit soft” to nail down a starting berth for England at this stage. Wharton started for the Three Lions in their final 2026 World Cup qualification win over Albania, with Thomas Tuchel’s side completing a faultless campaign with another victory.
Big decisions for Tuchel: Who will make England's World Cup squad?
Talismanic captain Harry Kane was the man to deliver for England once again, as he bagged a brace in a 2-0 triumph. Those efforts have taken the prolific Bayern Munich striker to a record-extending 78 goals for his country through 112 appearances.
Wharton helped to keep the Three Lions ticking over as they picked up three more points and kept a clean sheet. They have been flawless en route to another major finals, with Tuchel now facing some big selection decisions.
Nottingham Forest star Elliot Anderson and Arsenal ace Declan Rice are among those competing for berths in the heart of midfield. Wharton is also in that mix, at 21 years of age, but has been informed of what he needs to add to his game in order to become a go-to option in the engine room.
AdvertisementGettyWhere Wharton can improve: Advice from Man Utd legend Keane
Wharton was solid yet unspectacular against Albania, with more expected of him if a No.6 spot is to be nailed down. Ex-Manchester United captain Keane knows all about filling that position and had words of advice for an emerging Premier League and international talent.
Keane told ITV Sport: “I do like Adam Wharton. A lot of the modern midfielders, their first option seems to be ‘can I go sideways or backwards?’ What I like about him, the first option he seems to look at is ‘can I pass it forward?’, and that's a big strength to have.
“This is where he can mature over the next year or two if he's playing at the top level, put demands onto people. He's a bit soft there. Shout at players, go ‘give me the ball!’. That's what I used to do, I used to fall out with people a lot. ‘Give me the ball!’ Put demands on your team-mates. He's still new to it, so I'm not going to be too harsh on him. But as he matures and starts playing more games, put demands on your team-mates.”
Impressive progress: Kane reacts to another England win
England scored 22 goals while taking maximum points from their eight qualification matches in Group K. They did not concede a single goal, with an impressive marker being put down ahead of another bid for global glory.
Kane is delighted with the progress that is being made under former Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern boss Tuchel. He told of battling to a hard-fought win over Albania, with the deadlock only being broken in the 74th minute as a set-piece routine eventually fell in England’s favour: “It was a really tough game, one of the toughest we had in the group. We had to be patient and grind them down which we did and we ended up with a 2-0 win and another clean sheet.
“First half we did outswingers then when [Bukayo] Saka came on, we know how good he is with the front post, so we went front post, got a bit lucky with the flick on but thankfully I was there to put it away
“If you want to go far in any tournament you need a whole squad, you need players who don't start, to come off the bench and make an impact, that's what football's about. It's not just the 11 that play, the boys come on and make a difference.”
Getty Images Sport2026 World Cup draw: When is it & who will England face?
England, who have avoided any need for a qualification play-off, will discover their World Cup group opponents when the draw for that stage of the competition is made on December 5. There will be 48 teams taking part at FIFA’s flagship event next summer, with the tournament being expanded once again.