Struggling Toffee Ross Barkley ‘needs some time off’

EVERTON want Ross Barkley to rest this summer rather than help spearhead England Under-21s quest for European Championships success.

Ross Barkley has been selected for fewer starts at Everton AFP/GETTY

Ross Barkley has been selected for fewer starts at Everton

Manager Roberto Martinez plans to hold talks with Under-21s coach Gareth Southgate when he will express concerns that Barkley needs time off to recharge his batteries.

The stance follows on from Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino raising doubts over whether Harry Kane should take part in the tournament in the Czech Republic from June 17 to 30.

Barkley, 21, has endured a difficult campaign and struggled to hold down a regular first-team place at Everton, prompting the FA to believe his lack of starts means he could benefit from a summer spent with the Under-21s.

Yet he did not feature for a single minute in the Under-21 qualifying campaign and his absence of late under Martinez came with Everton having noticed a dip in the youngster's match statistics.

The midfielder has also been in Roy Hodgson's senior squad for the past two years, earning 10 caps, and featured as a substitute in the win over Scotland last November. Barkley went to the World Cup in Brazil last year and was involved in the Under-20s World Cup in Turkey the previous summer.

Martinez enjoys a good relationship with Southgate and the FA having released Ryan Ledson to captain England to Under-17s glory last summer when he was planning to give the teenager his senior debut.

Still, the stance on Barkley will inflame the debate over who plays for the Under-21s. Team-mate John Stones is also wanted by England together with Manchester United left-back Luke Shaw.

Kane would also be seen as a vital spearhead to the England attack after rattling in 26 goals already this season, and Southgate has already held preliminary talks about the best way of handling his development with Pochettino ahead of the recent Spurs game against Swansea.

The striker is understood to be keen to represent his country in the Czech Republic, even if he is called up to the senior England squad as expected in the interim.

He is a brilliant striker and he can be the main man, but he needs his rest for next season,

Jan Vertonghen

Hodgson will name his squad on March 19 for the Euro 2016 qualifier with Lithuania and the friendly with Italy at the end of the month.

However, team-mate Jan Vertonghen has warned Kane not to allow his heart to rule his head - or indeed the rest of his body - by wearing himself out at the end of a long season.

The Belgium international played in the UEFA Under-21 European Championships in 2007 but insists the circumstances are different as Kane could go into the June tournament with more than 50 games under his belt.

"Of course England want him. He is a brilliant striker and he can be the main man, but he needs his rest for next season," said Vertonghen.

"It's his call and I know a player always wants to play but sometimes you have to be careful.

"It's a difficult one because last season I played with injuries, but sometimes you just can't. You have to think about what's going to come.

"It's his decision and it's a totally different situation from when I played in 2007.

"I enjoyed playing for my country because I never played international football at youth level. So that was my first tournament as a Belgium player and I enjoyed it.

"It was in Holland and I played in Holland for Ajax at the time, so for me it was brilliant. But it's his call."

Former England Under-21 coach Stuart Pearce is a firm believer that fielding the strongest team should be paramount if England are to breed a winning mentality.

"Personally, and I've championed this all along, the key to the senior squad being successful is to make sure we win trophies at the younger age group," he said.

"The only way you do that is you take your strongest possible squad to the Under-21 and the Under-19 tournaments.

"If you want to put a good argument against it [resting] - Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. They play every game."

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