Adam Wharton on maintaining perspective and making progress

“People will talk about everyone and have opinions—whether positive or negative—about everyone. That, in my opinion, is just a part of football.

The inventive midfielder, who just committed his future to the team by signing a new contract at Ewood Park, has grown to be a valuable element of Jon Dahl Tomasson’s side.

Since Wharton has been regarded highly since an early age, players hoping to establish a reputation may feel some pressure.

The 19-year-old, however, has never given much thought to the outside clamor and prefers to let his on-field accomplishments speak for themselves.

He remarked, “It doesn’t really affect me too much.” “You get used to it as you get older.

“I am aware of my advantages and disadvantages. I’m aware of when I’ve performed poorly and when I can raise particular areas of my game.

For me, it’s about remaining composed and concentrating on what I can do. Since they choose who starts the games, I’m merely required to pay attention to the gaffer and staff.

“I’m attempting to absorb everything they advise regarding how I can get better and then try to apply that to games.”

In August 2022, Wharton started in the Carabao Cup match against Hartlepool, making his debut as a senior.

The midfielder was only concerned with having fun with his football at the moment, but in Academy football, breaking into the starting lineup is always the ultimate goal.

He went on, “I didn’t really think about it too much.” It has always simply been about playing football for me. I have always found enjoyment in it.

“I just wanted to enjoy playing football, and if I was doing that, I knew that I would play my best and things would fall into place naturally. I wasn’t too concerned about (the future).”

Wharton had a stint out of the team, but there were also many good things to come from his debut year with the senior squad at Ewood Park.

He declared, “It definitely opened my eyes.” “It was challenging being my first professional season.”

“It goes without saying that I wanted to play football since everyone wants to play and you don’t want to spend a lot of time on the sidelines.

“But it really helped me, and I was hungry to prove myself and regain my spot on the team when I returned.”

The young player has won numerous accolades for his efforts over the last several months in the Championship.

Even though his career has gotten off to such a great start, he is committed to continuing honing his craft.

“Even at the end of the previous season, I am a totally different player,” he said in reflection.

“That’s just football; things change all the time. It is what I want to continue doing—learning and improving every single day.

“Sometimes I look back to last season and think I wasn’t very good back then. Some people might think differently but when I watch some games back, I think I was miles off it.

“I have always looked at it that way, I always know I can do more. I look back on things and think, ‘I should have done this’.

“I think it is just me as a person and the way I look at football, it is probably very different to a lot of people.

“I want to be the best player I can and to do that, I have got to be effective on the ball as much as possible.”

There is no denying Wharton’s ability on the ball, with Tomasson claiming he has ‘Champions League quality’ earlier in the season.

However, the Academy graduate is keen to become a more rounded player as he continues to get vital experience under his belt.

“The obvious one is off the ball,” he explained. “Throughout my Academy days, that is always what I was told so I have to think about that.

“I have definitely improved on that in the last couple of seasons but there is plenty of room to improve in all aspects to reach the top of the game, which is what I want to do. I will keep working on everything and try to get better.”