‘His performances will be nudging Gareth Southgate’: Dean Smith claims ‘marquee signing’ Ross Barkley is knocking on the door for an England recall after sparkling in Aston Villa’s shock win at Arsenal
- Dean Smith has praised Ross Barkley for his impressive display against Arsenal
- Smith claims Barkley is a ‘gifted footballer’ that possesses that right ‘work rate’
- He believes Barkley’s performances will grab the attention of Gareth Southgate
Aston Villa manager Dean Smith has praised Ross Barkley for his impressive display during Aston Villa’s convincing triumph over Arsenal at the Emirates.
Smith complimented Barkley for his ability to settle into the team quickly after joining Villa on a season-long loan from Chelsea.
Smith believes Barkley is a ‘gifted footballer’ that possesses that right ‘work-rate’ to warrant a recall to Gareth Southgate‘s England side.
Villa boss Dean Smith has praised Ross Barkley for his impressive display against Arsenal
Speaking of Barkley – who combined excellently with Jack Grealish – Smith said: ‘Good players, they can play with each other very quickly – they don’t need time to work each other out.
‘We are seeing that with Jack and Ross, both technically gifted footballers but have the work rate as well.
‘Ross was a marquee signing for us, he wanted to get game time to get in the Euro squad. His performances will be nudging Gareth Southgate.’
Smith claims Barkley (right) is a ‘gifted footballer’ that possesses that right ‘work rate’
He believes Barkley’s performances will grab the attention of England boss Gareth Southgate
Grealish will report for England duty on Monday, while Barkley will look to continue his fine form in the Premier League to gain Southgate’s attention.
As for Villa, the result against Arsenal will see the club climb to sixth in the Premier League table.
Smith shared his opinion on what was arguably their most accomplished performance since returning to the top-flight last season by saying: ‘Personally I thought it was as good a performance as when we beat Liverpool 7-2.
‘The work from the whole 11 players without the ball to restrict a good Arsenal team was extremely pleasing.
‘It is up there with the Liverpool one, if not better. We were so composed and played with such intensity either with or without the ball today.
‘We make it hard for teams to break through us, we have conceded seven in the last two games and it is easier to look in the goals conceded column.
‘I had no doubts that defensively we were still strong and I was pleased the players went out and showed that today.’
Jack Grealish also excelled for Aston Villa in their victory over Arsenal at the Emirates
