Luton midfielder Ross Barkley has not been selected in Gareth Southgate’s squad for Englands’s international friendlies against Brazil and Belgium this month.
The 30-year-old scored for the Hatters last night to make it 3-0 at Bournemouth before a second half capitulation saw Town lose 4-3.
But despite Luton results, the Liverpudlian has been in sparkling form since joining the Kenilworth Road club in the summer, arguably playing some of his best football since he broke on to the scene as a highly-rated teenager at his boyhood club Everton.
Then, and during his time at Chelsea, Barkley was often in the England mix after making his debut in 2013 and earning 33 caps.
But the last time Barkley pulled on the Three Lions was during a Euro 2020 qualifier in October 2019 when he scored twice in the 6-0 win over Bulgaria.
There have been calls from Luton fans for England to revive their relationship with Barkley, but Southgate has continually opted to watch other matches. In February , he travelled to watch 33-year-old Jordan Henderson play for Ajax v PSV on the same day that Luton drew 4-4 at Newcastle where the Englishmen on show included Gabriel Osho (since selected by Nigeria), Teden Mengi, Alfie Doughty, Elijah Adebayo, Kieran Trippier, Lewis Miley, Tino Livramento, Harvey Barnes and Callum Wilson.
And the former Liverpool skipper has been included in the England squad along with former Reds team-mate Joe Gomez, Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite, West Ham United’s Jarrod Bowen, Chelsea midfielder Cole Palmer and Brentford hitman Ivan Toney, despite the striker only playing nine times this term, having missed most of the season while he served a ban for betting.
Also missing out on selection were Hammers duo Kalvin Phillips and James Ward-Prowse.
Despite there appearing little appetite from England coach Southgate to consider Barkley, earlier this month the midfielder told BBC Sport: “It’s in the back of my mind but I know there’s competition for places in the England squad. I know the quality that’s there.
“I believe I can add something to the squad — I can take risks, I can create assists and defensively, I’m much more disciplined now.
“I’m just enjoying the moment really and I believe that whatever’s to come, it’ll be enjoyable. Until I retire, I’m just going to enjoy this time now.”
For Barkley, that immediately means a massive Premier League relegation clash at home to Nottingham Forest on Saturday at Kenilworth Road.
Though injury-hit Luton are nursing the disappointment of being only third third team ever to lose a Premier League match from a 3-0 winning position, they know that victory against the Reds will lift them out of the relegation zone at the expense of the opponents.
England squad in full:
Goalkeepers: Sam Johnstone (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal).
Defenders: Jarrad Branthwaite (Everton), Ben Chilwell (Chelsea), Lewis Dunk (Brighton), Joe Gomez (Liverpool), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), John Stones (Manchester City), Kyle Walker (Manchester City).
Midfielders: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea), Jordan Henderson (Ajax), James Maddison (Tottenham), Declan Rice (Arsenal).
Forwards: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ivan Toney (Brentford), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa).
