EVERTON PLAYER PROFILES
Ross Barkley
| Squad number | 20 |
| Position | Midfield |
| Joined in | 2004 |
| Joined from | Everton Academy |
| Signed by | David Moyes |
| Transfer fee | No fee |
| Full debut | v QPR (H) 20 August 2011 |
| Contract duration | 2 years + 4 ½ years |
| Contract expires | June 2016 |
| Born | Wavertree, Liverpool |
| Date of birth | 5 December 1983 |
| Height | 6' 2" (1.88 m) |
| Nickname(s) | The Boss |
| Honours |
As a teenager, Ross Barkley was considered one of the hottest home-grown Premier League prospects and as he broke into the Everton senior side at the start of the 2011-12 season, he had some billing him as the next Wayne Rooney.
Though his development was seriously curtailed the previous year by a double leg-break suffered on duty for England’s U-17 side, Barkley returned to training before the end of the 2010-11 season — around six months after the injury occured — and he promoted to the senior squad for Everton's 2011 pre-season tour of the USA.
An ankle strain that prevented him playing against Philadelpha Union but he started the next friendly, against DC United, and looked very impressive, confident and assured for a relative youngster. Partial displays against Birmingham City and Werder Bremen strengthened his reputation in the eyes of manager, David Moyes, and at just 17, Ross made his Premier League debut in the Blues' first match of 2011-12 against QPR.
Two more starts followed, against Sheffield United in the Carling Cup and at Blackburn Rovers in the League but a double error, where he gave the ball away in midfield and then conceded a penalty trying to win in back, conviced Moyes that perhaps he'd blooded the youngster too soon.
With the Bill Kenwright regime struggling to keep the Club above financial floodwaters by that stage and no money for new transfers, one of the few methods of team-building open to Moyes was briging through talent like Barkley from the highly rated Everton Academy, but the teenager would find his first-team involvement restricted from that point on.
Despite the aching need for his spirit and drive in the first team, Moyes opted for continued 'nurturing' in the Reserves, though there were suspicions that Ross was being kept out of the first team, either to keep him out of the "shop window" before he could sign up a long-term contract after turning 18 or to maximise his future sale value, again once he'd been locked into a new deal.
Barkley did indeed sign a four-and-a-half year contract in mid-December 2011 and it remained to be seen if that change in status would improve his prospects of more senior-level football.
By and Lyndon Lloyd
Last updated December 2011
| Everton Career | |||||||
| Season |
Squad Number |
League Apps (sub) |
League Goals |
Cup Apps (sub) |
Cup Goals |
Total Apps (sub) |
Total Goals |
| 2010-11 | 32 |
0 (0) |
0 |
0 (0) |
0 |
0 (0) |
0 |
| 2011-12 | 20 | 2 (4) | 0 | 2 (1) | 0 | 4 (5) | 0 |
Totals |
2 (4) | 0 | 2 (1) | 0 | 4 (5) | 0 | |
Note: Everton Career Stats on ToffeeWeb are updated after every game.
| Everton Academy Record | |||
| Season | Team | Appearances (sub) | Goals |
| 2008-09 | U-18s | 13 (2) | 0 |
| 2009-10 | U-18s & Yth Cup | 14 (1) & 3 (0) | 1 & 1 |
| 2010-11 | Reserves | 3 (0) | 1 |
| 2011-12 | Reserves | ||
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