MX23RW : Friday, April 4 07:07:11| >> :600:334025:334025:

Stuart Pearce questions Ross Barkley inclusion

Former England Under-21 manager Stuart Pearce questions the decision to promote Ross Barkley to the full England squad.

Former England Under-21 manager Stuart Pearce has questioned whether Roy Hodgson was right to promote Ross Barkley to the full international squad rather than allowing the player to gain more experience at youth level.

Pearce said that once a player is in the full team they can no longer gain match time in the U21s, and he is unsure whether Barkley being a squad player rather than a first-teamer at a lower level is any better for his development.

"If you are going to upgrade someone to a higher age group, be aware that their mentality will mean they won't want to come back down and play in the Under-21 championship," Pearce told The Guardian.

"That's a fact. It means you go to an Under-21 tournament with so many players missing like last time and you can't win anything. It means you consistently don't win anything in the underage groups and that means you can't win anything at senior level.

"Does that mean he's had great experience sitting in the stands or does it mean he's missed six or seven Under-21 qualifiers and the experience of international football? I know where I would have left him."

Pearce is now in charge of Championship side Nottingham Forest and will take over from July 1.

ID:158595: cacheID:158595:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2197:
Written by
Matt Domm
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Ross Barkley in action during the International friendly match between England and Ecuador at Sun Life Stadium on June 4, 2014
Read Next:
Hodgson plays down Barkley expectations
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool30227170274373
2Arsenal301710355253061
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest30176750351557
4Chelsea30157854371752
5Manchester CityMan City30156957401751
6Newcastle UnitedNewcastle29155949391050
7Aston Villa3013984445-148
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton30121174845347
9Fulham3012994440445
10Bournemouth301281049381144
11Brentford30125135147441
12Crystal Palace29101093734340
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd30107133741-437
14Tottenham HotspurSpurs301041655441134
15Everton30713103237-534
16West Ham UnitedWest Ham3097143350-1734
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves3085174158-1729
18Ipswich TownIpswich3048183063-3320
19Leicester CityLeicester3045212567-4217
20Southampton3024242271-4910


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!