Tribal Football

Palace boss Glasner happy working with midfield pair Wharton, Kamada

Paul Vegas
Palace boss Glasner happy working with midfield pair Wharton, Kamada
Palace boss Glasner happy working with midfield pair Wharton, KamadaAction Plus
Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner is delighted working with midfield pair Adam Wharton and Daichi Kamada.

Glasner will take Palace to Brentford today for their Premier League kickoff.

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On Kamada, he said, "It's the same like with the youth players. We were looking for which players could help us, especially in case one of our offensive players leaves, like Michael Olise now. And Daichi is a player who is creative, who can score goals, like he showed against Nantes.

“He knows how we want to play, so it made it a little bit easier to integrate him in the way of playing. From the first day, he understood it, because we worked together for two years. But for him, it's the same: he has to compete with all the others.

“We have a very competitive squad, and he has to be better than the other players in his position. He has to show that he's maybe closer to helping a team win a game. Then he will start, and if not, the other one (a teammate) will start.”

On Wharton, he also stated: “He's a great guy. First of all, it's the most important thing, he's a great character. And yes, his last six months, or now eight months, were unbelievable for himself.

“Starting in January at Blackburn, and then playing such a Premier League half-year, and then going up to the (Euros) final with England, and a lot of impressions he had.

“And also to be honest, let's say the first week when he came back, he's 20, you have to make something with your mind and with your personality. It took him the first week to get back, but since then he's back again.

“He's working hard in training. He's one of the guys who is not on his highest fitness level, he can't be, so he had the first 45 minutes in the USA. He had a very short break, he had just two weeks break. Honestly, too short, but he didn't have a game with England. Many discussions we had, many talks we had.

“But now he's up again, and he's a fantastic player. He shows it every day in training, and as I mentioned, a very important, great character.”