Adam Wharton was back on the training ground on Tuesday as Crystal Palace closed in on a near fully‑fit squad for Wednesday night's Conference League final in Leipzig.
Wharton joined team‑mate Chris Richards in training after both had looked to be doubts: Richards missed last week's sessions after sustaining an ankle injury during Palace's 2-2 draw with Brentford, and Wharton had to be replaced soon after coming on as a second‑half substitute against Arsenal when he hurt his ankle in a coming together with Myles Lewis‑Skelly.
The pair's return removes two of the most acute fitness questions hanging over Palace in the run‑up to their first European final. Both players were pictured and reported training on Tuesday morning, a boost that left the club looking set to have a near fully‑fit squad available for selection for the game against Rayo Vallecano.
The stakes for Palace are unusually high. The club are preparing to chase a third trophy in 12 months: they have already lifted the FA Cup and the Community Shield, and last May Oliver Glasner guided Palace to their first major trophy when they beat Manchester City in the FA Cup final. Glasner has also been rotating his side in recent games — he rang the changes against Arsenal last weekend — with the explicit aim of focusing preparations on Wednesday and securing what he hopes will be a perfect send‑off as he takes charge of his final game as Palace manager.
That rotation helps explain the cautious handling of Wharton and Richards. Both injuries involve ankles, the kind of knocks that can feel settled after a few days but still harbour risk when players need to cover 90 minutes in a final. Palace's medical staff and Glasner face the familiar tension of balancing short‑term availability against the danger of a recurrence; having both players on the training pitch on Tuesday reduces that tension, but does not erase the need for last‑minute decisions.
The timeline of concern was compact. Richards picked up his ankle problem during the 2-2 draw with Brentford and was absent from training last week. Wharton entered as a second‑half substitute against Arsenal only to limp off after colliding with Myles Lewis‑Skelly; the substitution and the imagery of him leaving the field intensified questions about whether he could be relied on for a European final days later. That both were back in training on Tuesday morning closes the immediate chapter, but also sets up a new one: selection.
Palace now head into Wednesday night with the prospect of taking most of their squad across to Leipzig. If both Wharton and Richards pass the final checks, Oliver Glasner will be able to choose from near full strength as he looks to add the Conference League to the FA Cup and Community Shield on what would be a remarkable 12‑month run of silverware. For Wharton, who was forced off at the Emirates, the return to the grass is emphatic evidence that he remains part of those plans; for supporters, it is the clearest sign yet that Palace intend to contest the final with every available asset.
How Glasner uses the players he has on hand — whether Wharton is named in the starting eleven or held as cover — is the practical question left for Tuesday's final fitness checks and team sheets, but their presence in training has changed the immediate picture: Palace no longer look beaten by circumstance, they look equipped to pick a team capable of giving Glasner the send‑off he has sought and to chase a first European trophy in the club's history.
