Rob Edwards has said Ross Barkley is hopeful of an England recall after finding a ‘home’ at Luton Town this season.
Barkley signed for Luton on a free transfer in the summer after underwhelming spells at Chelsea and Nice and has produced a run of impressive performances for the Hatters this season.
The 30-year-old’s displays have led to suggestions of a shock England call-up, with the last of the midfielder’s 33 caps having been won four-and-a-half years ago. With Euro 2024 on the horizon, Edwards has said the ex-Everton star is hoping to be included.
“I’m just happy that he’s performing well and that’s all anyone hoping to be picked for the national team can do. We’re delighted with him, we love him and he’s playing really well,” Edwards said at his press conference ahead of facing Sheffield United this weekend.
“He’s got a home, he’s got a group of players and mates, staff and club that support him and allow him to be himself. We said when we brought him In he’s hungry, yes he’d had a couple of difficult years but he’s shown how good he is.”
Luton head into this weekend’s relegation six-pointer with Sheffield United having scored eight times in their last two Premier League games. Edwards has been delighted with his team’s improvement, ahead of a fixture between two teams ‘fighting for their lives’.
“We’ve been moving in the right direction for a long time and everyone’s always trying to improve and get better. We’ve been on a good journey so far and been getting more of a threat. That’s a combination of performances and hard work of those players. We’ve linked up and been more aggressive in our pressing and in possession we’ve been trying to hurt teams and get behind them.
“The aim is to try and win the game and we will try and do that any way we can. We go into this game expecting a really difficult game and battle. Both teams fighting for their lives so it will be tight.
“I would like to think we’ve been good to watch and we are in an entertainment business. We want to win and compete and we’ve been doing that well. I hope it’s a good game for the fans tomorrow and we look forward to it. We want to keep our performance levels high.
“I wouldn’t say we’re big favourites but we’re going in in good form and confident. There’s no game that’s easy, if we step off it then we can get punished. We want to win, we know it’s a really big game but they all are.”
Read – Player Analysis: How Ross Barkley is flourishing at Luton Town
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