Rodwell banks on Barkley
Jamie Bradbury
Friday, 26 August, 2011
England U21s midfielder praises his Everton team-mate.
Tickets are still available at just £10 for adults and £5 for children by clicking here
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Jack Rodwell has backed his Everton team-mate Ross Barkley to have a bright future after the teenage midfielder was called into the England Under-21s squad for the first time this week.
Barkley is one of five players in Stuart Pearce's squad for the double-header against Azerbaijan and Israel next week who lifted the European Championship with England's U17s last year. But after a broken leg at the start of last season, he missed out on a chance to make a step into the Goodison first team.
However, the 17-year-old has made an impact early this campaign after earning his Premier League debut against QPR last week and also featuring in Everton's 3-1 League Cup win over Sheffield United on Wednesday.
"Ross is playing well," said Rodwell, who made his Everton bow at 16. "He had a bad injury last year but has come back strong and is doing really well.
"He’s been working hard and if he can keep that going I’m sure he’ll have a bright future. It’s great to see young players like Ross coming through."
And as the Toffees prepare for their second League game of the season away at Blackburn on Saturday, manager David Moyes has also praised the highly-rated Liverpool-born midfielder.
"He is a boy from the city who people know, a bit like Wayne [Rooney]," said Moyes. "He is quite quiet off the field and doesn't say an awful lot, but he comes alive when he is on the field.
"It's great to see someone with the life and enthusiasm in them that he has."
Meanwhile Rodwell, who scored his first goal for England's Under-21s when they last played Azerbaijan in June 2009, believes England will see a number of young players energing in the coming seasons.
"There are a lot of players who have come through over the last couple of years, almost sneaked up on everyone, like Phil Jones who is now doing well at Manchester United, and Josh McEachran, who is starting to play more for Chelsea and has a lot of potential.
"Hopefully we’ll see more younger players coming through over the next couple of years."
To follow England Under-21s in the build up to the game, and their fixture at Barnsley on 5 September, log on to TheFA.com, follow at www.twitter.com/thefadotcom or like at www.facebook.com/EnglandU21s
England face Azerbaijan in their opening Group 8 encounter at Watford on Thursday 1 September (7.30pm BST) with tickets still available at just £10 for adults and £5 for children by calling 0844 856 1881 or click here to book .