Luton midfielder Barkley insists he still has plenty to offer England as he hopes for a Three Lions call-up

Luton midfielder Ross Barkley believes he can still add something to the England squad for this summer’s European Championships as he admitted playing for his country once more is something he is keeping very much in mind.

The 30-year-old has won 33 caps for the Three Lions since making his debut back in September 2013 when featuring in a World Cup qualifier against Moldova. He has scored six goals in that time, with six assists, but hasn’t featured for over four years, when finding the net twice in a 6-0 Euro qualifying victory over Bulgaria back in October 2019. It looked like his international career might have been over after spending last year at French Ligue One side Nice, but since moving to Kenilworth Toad in the summer, Barkley has been reborn in a slightly deeper midfield role.

The former Everton prodigy, who was signed by Chelsea for £15m in 2018, has been in sparkling form for the Hatters, with three goals and three assists from his 21 appearances, has been backed by a number of pundits to be included in Gareth Southgate’s for this summer’s tournament to be held in Germany. First up are two friendlies against Brazil and Belgium later this month though, as speaking to Football Focus, Barkley insists he has plenty to offer on the highest stage possible.

He said: "I’m not going to lie, it's in the back of my mind, but I know there’s a lot of competition for places in the England squad. I know the quality that's there and I believe I can add something to the squad. I can take risks, I can create assists and definitely I’m much more disciplined now. I feel like I’m in a good place again, not having to worry about anything else, just playing games, enjoying my training and enjoying my matches, trying to help the team as much as possible. We've been a bit up and down, but we’re a positive group, we’ve just got to focus on game to game.”

The 30-year-old is no stranger to international tournaments, having played at the 2014 World Cup and been part of the squad for the Euro Championships in 2016. Picked 11 times by Southgate since the former Middlesbrough manager was appointed in 2016, Barkley hasn’t been involved at a major competition since being on the plane to France almost eight years ago. Speaking recently, Luton legend Mick Harford, who himself won two caps for England during his playing days, thinks the midfielder deserves a call, adding: “He’s playing his way into the England squad in my opinion. He’s played in tournaments, he’s played in World Cups, he knows what’s needed in those types of tournaments. Whether he gets chosen we’ll never know, but all he can do along with the rest of our players is perform in the way they are playing and I'm sure people will stand up and look at it.”