Ross Barkley

Ross Barkley is a midfielder of Liverpool side Everton and the Three Lions youth team. He was born in Liverpool, England.

Ross is a product of the Everton academy; he came to it when he was 11. Even when Barkley played for the youth team the coaching staff of ‘The Toffees’ noticed the footballer’s great potential and talent. Before 2010/2011 head coach of the Liverpool side club David Moyes invited the player to train with the first team, though Ross was under 17 at that moment.

During first matches of that season the midfielder frequently appeared on the substitutes’ bench of Everton and had all chances to make his début in the Barclays. However, the footballer was seriously injured at one of the England U-19 team trainings after a collision with Liverpool player Andre Wisdom, who broke Ross’ leg in three places.

As it was expected, Barkley recovered slowly and skipped the rest of 2010/2011, but before 2011/2012 he fully recuperated and was ready to come on the pitch. The footballer showed a wonderful performance in pre-season matches and Moyes decided to let him make start in the Premier League second round game against Blackburn. Ross was substituted by Tim Cahill after 53 minutes of the match and ‘The Toffees’ managed to drive towards a victory by the end of the game. Four days later Barkley came on the field again and provided an assist, this time in the League Cup match.

Later the footballer made several league appearances and took part in a number of League Cup games, but the head coach more often let him as a substitute by the end of matches. Besides, Everton was later strengthened by Landon Donovan and Steven Pienaar, so Ross lost almost all opportunities to establish himself in the main squad. In the middle of the winter the situation was aggravated by knee problems, due to which the footballer spent more than a month in hospital.

In January 2013 the youngster went on loan to Leeds United.

Barkley played for all national youth teams (U-16, U-17 and U-19). From 2011 he has been capped for the Three Lions U-21 squad. The footballer made 30 international appearances at all youth levels and scored four goals.

Ross performs at the position of a centre midfielder, but he can also play at any other position in the centre if necessary. Barkley perfectly plays with both legs and possesses good physical data, which helps him to confidently struggle for the ball with opponents. One of the footballer’s biggest advantages is his passing ability: Ross can make wonderful passes at medium and long distance and almost all his passes are elaborately accurate. Besides, the footballer is known for his pace and skill and considered one of the most capable English players.