Aston Villa of England summer signing, Ross Barkley has gained words of praise from The Villans’ coach, Dean Smith, who says he has been impressed by what he has seen from the Nigerian-born dazzler since his arrival on loan from Chelsea, megasportsarena.com reports.
Although Barkley appeared to have lost form during his days at Chelsea, the former Everton of England lad appears to have settled in well at Villa Park, such that Dean Smith has hailed the impact Ross Barkley has had since his arrival from Chelsea.
The 26-year-old Barkley has impressed in midfield and scored twice in his three appearances for Villa since joining the Birmingham-based club on a season-long loan deal earlier this month, with goals and team play making him out for plaudits from fans and analysts alike.
The crew cut lad, whose Nigerian descent comes from his grandfather, He was instrumental, linking up seamlessly on his debut with Jack Grealish, in Villa’s sensational 7-2 dismantling of Premier League champions Liverpool, scoring his new side’s fifth goal early in the second half.
Barkley, who is under contract at Chelsea until the summer of 2023, also scored an injury-time winner at Leicester in Villa’s 1-0 victory; such that Villa’s coach believes the star’s form and performances for his team reflect his ambitions to be part of the England squad for next summer’s European Championship.
Smith said ahead of Villa’s Premier League game at home against Southampton on Sunday: “He’s someone I felt we needed. I look at the Premier League and you need legs in your midfield area because you’ve got to cover a lot of ground in a game. Ross does that.
“He’s got ambitions to get into the Euro squad at the end of the season. With the quality Chelsea have got, they couldn’t guarantee anyone minutes. His work ethic and attitude has been tremendous. He brings us that added bit of quality that we needed.”
