{"id":576916,"date":"2021-01-02T09:56:26","date_gmt":"2021-01-02T14:56:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/?p=576916"},"modified":"2021-01-02T09:56:26","modified_gmt":"2021-01-02T14:56:26","slug":"harvey-barnes-england-place","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/2021\/01\/02\/harvey-barnes-england-place\/","title":{"rendered":"Harvey Barnes: Improving With Every Game and Vying for an England Place"},"content":{"rendered":"

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<\/a> is one of those players.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Leicester City<\/a> 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.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The likes of Mason Greenwood<\/a>, Phil Foden<\/a> and James Maddison<\/a> 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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Harvey Barnes: Vying for an England Place<\/span><\/h2>\n

Leicester’s Main Man in Recent Times<\/span><\/h3>\n

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<\/a> arrived from Roma, the Englishman would not have questioned his place for one second.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The likes of Jamie Vardy<\/a> 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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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<\/a> and equalising in the 83rd minute against Crystal Palace<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

England Call-up Would Be a Deserved One<\/span><\/h3>\n

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’.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Back then, it was the likes of Steven Gerrard<\/a>, Frank Lampard<\/a>, David Beckham<\/a>, Paul Scholes<\/a> and Michael Owen<\/a>– just to name a few- who were left competing with a place.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, it is Jack Grealish, James Maddison, Phil Foden, Curtis Jones<\/a>, Mason Greenwood and Bukayo Saka<\/a> who are desperately vying for a position in Southgate’s side.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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.<\/span><\/p>\n

Main Photo
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>