LEIPZIG, Germany -- Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton said he isn't going "to sit and cry" about being left out of Thomas Tuchel's England squad for the World Cup, adding that there was "never a guarantee" he would make it.
Wharton was not included in England's 26-man party announced last week despite a stellar season with Palace.
The 22-year-old responded to the snub in spectacular fashion on Wednesday night, earning the player of the match award as Palace beat Rayo Vallecano in UEFA Conference League final in Leipzig.
An injury doubt heading into the game, Wharton was fit enough to start and it was his drive and shot that lead to the only goal of the game from Jean Philippe-Mateta as Palace made history at the Red Bull Arena winning their first ever European trophy.
"That's just part of football. It was never a guarantee I was going to go. I knew that," Wharton told a news conference.
"When he called me, he just told me I wasn't there. He said it was close. But yeah, like I said, that's football. I'm not going to sit here and cry about it.
"Still had two games for Palace to go. Obviously tonight being a massive one, I don't really dwell on those things too much. It's not the end of the world. I'm still young."
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With his summer now freed up, Wharton also said he now has a couple of holidays in the calendar.
"Hopefully there's other tournaments and World Cups that I can go to in the future. But yeah, I was just focused on Palace and coming here and getting the win, which we have done," he added.
"I'm glad with that and I've got a couple places booked to go [on holiday], but I'm just going to enjoy my summer and tonight."
