Everton manager Roberto Martinez has warned midfielder Ross Barkley that he should only be focusing on his club football right now and not whether he goes to Brazil next Summer.
A string of fine performances for The Toffees earlier on in the season caught Roy Hodgson’s eye and a few weeks later, the youngster was winning his first cap for his country.
Now with the qualifiers out of the way, all focus turns to the actual tournament next Summer, and with just 23 places available, everyone will be working their hardest to book a spot on the plane.
However, Martinez, who has a Merseyside derby to worry about this weekend, has told his midfield-maestro to focus on Everton before thinking about the World Cup.
“I don’t think it is the time to consider the squad,” Martinez told Sky Sports News. “I think the squad is going to be announced in June so, as you can imagine, in football a week is an eternity. In a few months, anything could happen.
“I think in football you need to concentrate on what is happening in your day-to-day work and that’s where Ross is. He is enjoying his experience with England, and when he came on yesterday (against Germany) he was himself which is always important.
“All he needs to do is concentrate on his club role and make sure that he’s ready to help the team and enjoy his season and develop and grow and then the reward is always around the corner after your good work on a daily basis.
“Sometimes you can get confused as a player how you are going to effect what happens in the national team. It is very easy; it is what you can do at club level.”
Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt – @AlexsArticles
