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‘His performances will give Gareth Southgate a boost’: Dean Smith claims ‘marquee signing’ Ross Barkley is knocking on the door for an England withdrawal after shining in Aston Villa’s surprising win at Arsenal
- Dean Smith has praised Ross Barkley for his impressive performance against Arsenal
- Smith claims Barkley is a ‘talented footballer’ with that ‘right pace of work’
- He believes Barkley’s performances will get the attention of Gareth Southgate
Aston Villa manager Dean Smith has praised Ross Barkley for his impressive display during Aston Villa’s convincing win over Arsenal at the Emirates.
Smith congratulated Barkley on his ability to adapt quickly to the team after joining Villa on a one-season loan from Chelsea.
Smith believes that Barkley is a ‘talented footballer’ who possesses that ‘right pace of work’ to justify a call to Gareth Southgate’s England team.
Villa boss Dean Smith has praised Ross Barkley for his impressive performance against Arsenal
Speaking of Barkley, who paired excellently with Jack Grealish, Smith said: ‘Good players, they can play with each other very quickly, they don’t need time to work with each other.
‘We are seeing that with Jack and Ross, both technically gifted footballers but also have the pace of work.
“Ross was an outstanding signing for us, he wanted to have playing time to get into the Euro Cup team. His performances will give Gareth Southgate a boost.
Smith claims Barkley (right) is a ‘talented footballer’ with just that ‘right pace of work’
He believes Barkley’s performances will get the attention of England boss Gareth Southgate.
Grealish will report to England on Monday, while Barkley will look to continue his good form in the Premier League to get Southgate’s attention.
As for Villa, the result against Arsenal will see the club rise to sixth place in the Premier League table.
Smith shared his take on what was arguably his most accomplished performance since returning to the top flight last season, saying: ‘Personally, I thought it was as good a performance as when we beat Liverpool 7-2.
‘The work of the 11 off-the-ball players to restrict a good Arsenal team was extremely enjoyable.
He is at the height of Liverpool, if not better. We were so calm and played with such intensity with or without the ball today.
“We make it difficult for the teams to beat us, we have conceded seven in the last two games and it is easier to search in the goals conceded column.
“I had no doubt that defensively we were still strong and I was glad that the players came out and showed it today.”
Jack Grealish also stood out for Aston Villa in their win over Arsenal at the Emirates
