England player's brother banned from flying to Euro 2024 for unusual reason
England midfielder Adam Wharton's brother has been banned from flying to watch Euro 2024 this summer - but that hasn't stopped him from getting to Germany.
Wharton, who joined Crystal Palace from Championship side Blackburn in a £22.5 million deal in January, forced his way into the Three Lions squad with a series of impressive performances.
He was an unused substitute during England's 1-0 win over Serbia, with Conor Gallagher and Kobbie Mainoo both preferred by Gareth Southgate to play cameo roles.
But the Palace star's chance could come later on in the tournament, with his brother in Germany to watch him - although it wasn't exactly the easiest of tasks in getting there.
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His brother is the Blackburn centre-back Scott Wharton, with the pair playing alongside each other for several years at Ewood Park. Both players are Rovers academy graduates.
The elder Wharton, who is 26, has spent his entire career with the Lancashire club, which has encompassed five loan spells.
He has become a regular member of the starting XI in the past three seasons, but his 2023/24 campaign was curtailed by a serious knee injury suffered in April.
The injury forced the centre-back to have major surgery that will cause him to miss around nine months of action - meaning he was banned by his doctors from flying out to Germany to support his younger brother.
But instead of staying at home to watch England in action, Wharton instead decided to drive 600 miles to get to Germany as part of an incredible journey that would surely make Del Boy and Rodney proud.
Speaking to ITV Granada ahead of England's win over Serbia, the Blackburn defender explained: "I can't fly for two months, and it's been six weeks [since the surgery].
"Me and my partner, we're driving to Hull to catch the ferry to Rotterdam and then drive into Dusseldorf, where we're staying for the first game.
"It's more of a road trip - I'm looking forward to it! Honestly, I just feel like a proud dad. The family is massively proud of him, of how far he's come in such a short space of time."
Ryan Smart