Chelsea midfielder Ross Barkley looks to have a future Chelsea after impressing new manager Maurizio Sarri in pre-season and the Community Shield.
The former Everton midfielder joined the West London side from Everton for £15million in January, but a nasty hamstring injury and a lack of trust from then Chelsea manager Antonio Conte limited him to just two Premier League appearances all season for the Blues.
However, he was a regular during Chelsea’s pre-season and played 90 minutes in Sunday’s 3-0 defeat to Manchester City in the Community Shield.
The 24-year old played on the right side of a three-man midfield containing Cesc Fabregas and new £50 million signing Jorginho.
Barkley’s footballing ability was present for all to see at Wembley, however, he was often exposed by Manchester City’s silky midfield who seemed to cut through the heart of Chelsea at will.
Sarri praised Barkley’s performance but admitted that he will have to work on the defensive side of his game.
The Italian said:
I like him, he’s a technical player. I like him very much. He has to improve on the defensive phase. I think it’s difficult at this moment to play with Jorginho, Cesc [Fabregas] and Ross altogether. But I like him. I think he will be a very useful player for us.
Sarri’s praise will be music to Barkley’s ears, as it seemed like his career was never going to take off under Conte.
Injuries have stagnated his career in the last few years and it is easy to forget that he was once viewed as being the next big thing in English football.
Roberto Martinez, when he was managing Barkley at Everton, even said:
I can see some (Michael) Ballack in him and some Gazza (Paul Gascoigne).
At 24-years old, his career is far from over and it appears that he has gained Sarri’s trust and confidence.
However, while one Chelsea midfielder has been given another chance, Ruben Loftus Cheek’s Chelsea future does not look as bright.
The Chelsea academy graduate did not make the squad for Sunday’s curtain-raiser against Manchester City and he has never had a consistent run of matches at Stamford Bridge.
With the likes of N’Golo Kante, Tiemoue Bakayoko, Cesc Fabregas, Ross Barkley, Danny Drinkwater and now £50 million Jorginho, all donning the royal blue of Chelsea, Ruben Loftus-Cheek faces a tough battle to cement a starting spot at Stamford Bridge.
After playing a big role in England’s World Cup campaign, he will be desperate to stay in Southgate’s plans and if Barkley’s performances for Chelsea improve, then he could find himself stuck behind the former Everton man at Chelsea and England.
But with his late return from the World Cup, it might just be that Sarri believes that he is not match-fit yet and needs more time to train.
Either way, it is a huge summer for the powerful midfielder and it will be interesting to see which club he will be at come deadline day.
