Roberto Martinez has said he will have no complaint if Ross Barkley is overlooked for England’s World Cup squad as the Everton midfielder would benefit from a holiday.
The 20-year-old has won three full England caps during his breakthrough season in the Premier League but faces strong competition from Liverpool's Raheem Sterling and Southampton's Adam Lallana for a place in Roy Hodgson's 23-man squad for Brazil.
Valuable addition
Hodgson will announce his squad a week on Monday, after the final matches of the league season, and Martinez believes Barkley would prove a valuable addition to England's plans. But the Everton manager is also keen for the homegrown talent to take a break from football this summer, having made 40 senior appearances in total.
“Ross is a phenomenal talent and if England needs him he will be ready. If Roy doesn’t need him, a good holiday would be great,” said Martinez. “Ross is here to help England in whatever shape or form but he is still a very young man so it is not a case of being a last chance to be involved in a World Cup. He is a proud man in terms of playing for England and whatever happens he will be thrilled to accept it.
“I think if Ross has to go through without a holiday he will be fine because he is a young man. In a younger body, you get two weeks to switch off and it’s enough. But in the same way having a good holiday will help him. It’s a no lose situation. For older players I would be more worried, for example Gareth Barry. Would it be good for him to go to a World Cup? Maybe not.”
Barkley could be asked to replace Barry in Everton’s final home game of the season against Manchester City today, with the on-loan 33-year-old ineligible to face his parent club. Barkley flourished in a deeper role against Arsenal and Martinez admits the midfielder’s best position is yet to be decided.
“We have some options. Leon Osman has played in that position and Ross can play that position. Ross is ready now to play in different roles. The next few years will tell us which is going to be his best position but at the moment he can play different roles in a disciplined manner.”
Club captain
The club captain, Phil Jagielka, is available for the first time in 10 weeks having recovered from a hamstring injury but, with just two Premier League matches to prove his fitness before Hodgson announces his squad, the England defender is not guaranteed a return to the starting lineup against City.
"The problem with Phil is you need to go from zero to 90 as a centre-half. It is not a position you can introduce a little bit and give him a little time," the Everton manager explained. "He is medically fit but that does not mean he is going to get a place. Nobody has a place guaranteed in the team, not even the skipper."
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