With Euro 2021 fast-approaching, several players across the country will be desperate to book their ticket on Gareth Southgate’s England plane to the highly-anticipated competition. And Harvey Barnes is one of those players.
The Leicester City man, who is quickly becoming Brendan Rodgers’ man for the big occasion, seems to be improving with each game and is quietly putting himself in contention for a call-up come the summer despite the array of competition surrounding the current setup.
The likes of Mason Greenwood, Phil Foden and James Maddison will be the names mentioned when considering those deserving of the call. Yet, with each week, Barnes silently goes about his game with the maturity of a player ready to take to the famous England strip.
Harvey Barnes: Vying for an England Place
Leicester’s Main Man in Recent Times
Having scored seven goals and assisted a further nine last season, Harvey Barnes would have been entering the season with confidence in abundance. Even as Cengiz Under arrived from Roma, the Englishman would not have questioned his place for one second.
The fact is, in a Brendan Rodgers side which relies so heavily on the workmanlike tendencies of players such as Barnes, the 23-year-old’s place was never in doubt.
Add in his improved end product this season- scoring eight goals- and you begin to realise how central Barnes is to Leicester’s potential top-four charge.
The likes of Jamie Vardy and James Maddison will receive the praise for the Foxes’ rise this campaign, but it is Barnes’ systematic understanding- both on and off the ball- alongside his new-found ability to strike when needed most, which is proving key.
The last two games, for example, it was the Englishman once again who struck to earn Leicester City the needed points- netting against Manchester United and equalising in the 83rd minute against Crystal Palace.
England Call-up Would Be a Deserved One
One could argue that getting a call-up to the England team is as difficult these days as it was when the country was blessed with the so-called ‘golden generation’.
Back then, it was the likes of Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, David Beckham, Paul Scholes and Michael Owen– just to name a few- who were left competing with a place.
Now, it is Jack Grealish, James Maddison, Phil Foden, Curtis Jones, Mason Greenwood and Bukayo Saka who are desperately vying for a position in Southgate’s side.
The last ‘golden generation’ went to waste; somehow, a team filled to the brim with so much talent failed on the big occasion. This time, with a fresh set of golden tinted youngsters, England must take advantage.
Perhaps the problem the last time around was an overload of stars; a plethora of so many similarly talented players, and a lack of players who could simply do the dirty work in a quiet yet impactful manner.
Heading into the summer, it could be players such as Harvey Barnes, who receive a deserved call-up as Southgate looks to find the balance between flair and those silently playing a crucial part in a potential trophy-winning system.
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