Adam Wharton will not "cry about" his absence from England's World Cup squad, noting he will have other chances to go to major tournaments in the future.
Many expected Wharton to be part of Thomas Tuchel's plans for the tournament after the Three Lions boss handed him three caps, the most recent of those in a March friendly against Uruguay.
But when England's 26-man group was named last week, Jordan Henderson and Kobbie Mainoo were the other midfielders selected alongside presumed starters Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson.
Wharton appeared in 53 games for Crystal Palace across the 2025-26 season, helping them win the Conference League trophy in their very first campaign in European football.
And, speaking in the aftermath of Wednesday's 1-0 final victory over Rayo Vallecano, Wharton said he was not overly dismayed by his World Cup absence.
"It's just part of football. It was never a guarantee I was going to go; I knew that," Wharton said.
"When he [Tuchel] called me, he told me I wasn't there. He said it was close. But that's football. I'm not going to sit here and cry about it.
"I still had two games for Palace to go – this 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. Hopefully there are other tournaments and World Cups I can go to in the future. I was just focused on Palace and coming here and getting the win."
In the Conference League final, Wharton had more touches (50) and played more passes in the final third (17) than any other Palace player, while only Tyrick Mitchell and Daichi Kamada (both six) won possession more often than him (five times).
Palace are the third English team to win the trophy in their first season in major European competition, after West Ham in the 1964-65 Cup Winners Cup and Newcastle United in the 1968-69 Fairs Cup.
They will now compete in the Europa League next season, the competition they were originally supposed to enter in 2025-26 before being thrown out over a breach of multi-club ownership rules.
With head coach Oliver Glasner departing, the Eagles have been strongly linked with a move for ex-Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola, though Coventry City's Frank Lampard has been touted as a possible alternative.