5 Reasons Ross Barkley Won't Leave Everton For Manchester City
3. A Lack Of Playing Time At City
Manchester City already have a bloated squad, of that fact there is no denying. Their 25-man squad for the Premier League already has a plethora of quality midfielders including Yaya Toure, Fernandinho, Fernando, David Silva, Samir Nasri and Jesús Navas. Although Barkley was hugely impressive for Everton last season, scoring some absolutely world-class goals in the process, it is hard to imagine City manager Manuel Pellegrini would start him ahead of the likes of Fernandinho, Fernando Yaya Toure or David Silva in the centre of the City midfield. That is also exacerbated by the fact the Chilean prefers to play a 4-4-2 formation, making the competition for places even greater. In such an instance, Barkley would be left hoping for substitute and cup appearances, which would be hugely detrimental to his progression at this period in his career. Playing at Everton has meant an increased amount of Premier League game time, which has led to his rapid development over the past year. Those stating that Barkley would want to move to a bigger club would also do well to remember other English players that have moved to the Etihad only to find their playing time limited, most notably Everton man Jack Rodwell. Both moved to the club looking to further their careers, but have notably gone backwards, with Rodwell moving on to Sunderland this summer in order to try and get his career back on track. It would be hugely disappointing to see Barkleys talent wasted in a similar manner.
