Barkley given chance to impress Southgate

Gareth Southgate will attend Everton’s Premier League game against West Bromwich Albion at Goodison Park today, giving hope to Ross Barkley that he might be due his first England call-up since the European Championship last summer.

The 23-year-old has missed the last three squads since Euro 2016, and has not played for his country since the friendly against Australia on May 27. He was left out by Sam Allardyce for the one squad in which he was in charge of the team, and then subsequently squads by Southgate.

The England manager names his squad on Thursday for the friendly against Germany in Dortmund on March 22 and the World Cup qualifier against Lithuania at Wembley four days later.

Barkley has been the subject of some tough love this season by the Everton manager, Ronald Koeman, who has told him that he needed to deliver consistently if he was to fulfil ambitions to be a leading player. The midfielder has, however, established himself in the Everton team and has started the past 10 games. for two

Barkley has just one year left on his Everton contract after this season and there will be serious interest in him this summer if the club cannot tie him down to a long-term deal, with Tottenham Hotspur the latest to be linked with him.

Southgate is also on the lookout for a left-back, as first-choice Danny Rose has not played since January following an ankle injury. Ryan Bertrand steps up into that role in Rose’s absence, but there will also be a potential place for Luke Shaw or possibly Everton’s Leighton Baines, who could return to the England team at the age of 32.