Ross Barkley will not be sold by Everton this summer, even if he emerges as a global talent at the World Cup, according to Roberto Martinez. The midfielder has had an impressive breakthrough season as he helped Everton finish fifth and he was rewarded with a place in the England squad.
The Everton boss accepts that the 20-year old could garner interest from a variety of clubs should he carry his form onto the World stage, but he is adamant he will not be sold if he does.
The Toffees are under no financial pressure to sell the England man in the transfer window and Roberto Martinez believes the player would rather help the Goodison Park side claim Champions League football than move away this summer.
When Martinez was asked if he would accept a big-money move for Barkley during the transfer window, he said:
“No. No, because it would be wrong for him. As a manager you develop a relationship with players and you’re always honest with that. Ross is a phenomenal talent, probably the best English talent I have ever seen, but he is not the finished article yet and you need to be very careful.
“It’s our duty to protect him and I know Everton is the perfect place for him for the next 12 months. In football obviously you can never speak about the future. Obviously we need to come along and try to get into the top-four positions to offer players like Ross the next stage of their development. Ross is delighted at Everton and feels very much that he is in the right place at the right time of his career.”
By Charlie Gregory
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