Barkley: Ross

2013-2013 (Leeds Player Details) (Player Details)

Midfield

Born: Wavertree, Liverpool: 05-12-1993

Debut: Barnsley (a): 12-01-2013

6’2” 12st (2012)

Barkley was brought up in the Wavertree district of Liverpool and joined Everton as an eleven-year old. As a schoolboy, he won the Liverpool Echo Cup in 2008 at Anfield.He captained his school Broadgreen International School and scored two goals in the final. He went on to play for Everton's youth teams, playing in the under-Eighteens at the age of fifteen. He progressed through the Academy and and at fourteen he first represented England at under-Sixteen level, going on to play seven times and scoring two goals, before progressing to the Under-Seventeen age group early in the 2009-10 season. He made his debut for the Under-Seventeen side against Kazakhstan in October 2009, and was also a part of England's victorious 2010 European Championship side in Liechtenstein in May 2010. He scored the only goal in a group stage victory over Greece in the tournament, and played a full ninety minutes in their 2-1 victory over Spain in the final to clinch England's first ever European Under-Seventeen title. In 2010-11, as a first year academy player, he played the first game of the season for Everton's Reserves, scoring in a 1-1 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. He was named on the bench for the home EPL game against Newcastle United on 18th September 2010 and was in line for a more regular place in the first team when he broke his leg in three places after a collision with Liverpool's Andre Wisdom during an England under-Nineteen match in October 2010. Despite the injury Everton signed him to a professional contract when he turned seventeen in December 2010. He recovered from that injury and joined the first team squad in preparation for the 2011-12. Tim Cahill declared Barkley as the most talented footballer he had worked with. Barkley scored the only goal of the game against Dundee United at Tannadice in a pre-season game. He made his Everton debut, on 20th August 2011 in a 0-1 defeat by Queens Park Rangers at Goodison Park and was named as "Man of the Match". He signed a new four-and-a-half-year contract in December 2011. On the international front, he went on to play for the England under-Nineteens in 2012 and on 28 May 2013, he was named in the squad for the 2013 FIFA Under-Twenty World Cup. He made his debut on 16th June 2013 in a 3-0 win against Uruguay. On the home front, on 14th September 2012, Barkley joined Sheffield Wednesday on a one-month loan deal, making his debut the same day in 0-3 away defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion. He scored his first goal for Wednesday, from the penalty-spot, against Bolton Wanderers the following week. His loan was extended for a further month before he was recalled by Everton on 19th November 2012 after scoring four goals in twelve starts and one game from the bench for Wednesday. He had impressed with the Owls and the highlight was his two goals in a 3-0 away win at Ipswich Town on 27th October 2012. He was loaned out once more, this time to Leeds United, for a one-month stint, on 11th January 2013 and he made his debut for Leeds the following day in a 0-2 defeat at Oakwell in a derby match against Barnsley. His second start for Leeds, his Elland Road debut, saw him assist Ross McCormack with a cross for the winning goal in a 1-0 win over Bristol City. He made three starts and one game for Leeds without scoring, before returning to Goodison on 14th February 2013. Barkley, who is very highly thought of and rumoured to be wanted for £12million by his former boss David Moyes at Manchester United, has started four and come off the bench nine times in the League and twice in the F.A. Cup, together with two starts and one game as a substitute for Everton to the end of the 2012-13 season. He has scored twice in seven games for England at Under-Sixteen, twice in seven at Under-Seventeen, but has not scored in twelve games at Under-Nineteen, four at Under-Twenty and four at Under-Twenty-One levels.