At just 19 years and 15 days-old, he became the fifth-youngest goalkeeper in the club's history, and followed up his Brighton appearance by starting against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.
He is a goalkeeper in the modern mould, with excellent distribution skills as well as shot-stopping ability, and is a regular with the England youth sides.
Harking from generations of Crystal Palace fans, Whitworth was a regular at Selhurst Park as a child despite an early youth career at AFC Wimbledon Under-13s. The oldest of three goalkeeping brothers, he was spotted by the Eagles and invited to sign.
His form in 2020/21 was recognised by Shaun Derry, and he was regularly among the substitutes for the Under-23s side, including fixtures at Selhurst Park. He also received international call-ups for the England Under-17s and Under-18s sides.
He made 20 appearances for the U18s in 20/21, keeping six clean sheets as the side narrowly missed out on the U18 Premier League South title on goal difference..
Whitworth became the first-choice goalkeeper for the Under-23s at the age of 18 in the 2021/22 season, making 23 appearances in the Premier League 2 Division 1 and keeping three clean sheets. He saved three penalties in three successive games at the start of 21/22 against Leeds United, Arsenal and Everton.
His performances in the previous campaign saw him in and amongst the first-team, earning a place on the bench against Aston Villa, Manchester City, West Ham United and Newcastle United in the first half of 2022/23.
In September 2022, Whitworth earned a call-up to the England Under-19s side to compete in their qualification campaign for the UEFA U19 European Championship.
The young goalkeeper signed a contract extension in January 2023, committing his long-term future to the club and finished the 22/23 campaign with two appearances for the first-team and 10 appearances for the U21s in all competitions.
In 2023/24, Whitworth captained the Under-21s on multiple occasions and was the main captain of the side after Seán Grehan went on loan in the latter part of the season.
He made 33 appearances in total for the U21s in 23/24, keeping seven clean sheets and saving two penalties. His performances saw him earn the U21s Player of the Season award before crowning a successful campaign with a standout performance in the Premier League International Cup final victory against PSV.
In July 2024, Whitworth joined League One Exeter City on a season-long loan. He quickly established himself as the No. 1 at St James Park, playing in every game he was eligible for.
