Ross Barkley to pack his bags at Aston Villa as latest squad development emerges
Ross Barkley has had a nightmare season at Aston Villa so far.
Barkley has been linked away with Villa throughout the year after a general lack of gametime in claret and blue.
That has largely come due to Barkley’s struggles with injury at Villa Park, which have regularly seen him sidelined under Unai Emery.
There was fear that a contract exit was in the pipeline for the Englishman this summer, but Barkley has since revealed his contract situation at Villa.
Barkley is signed until 2027, but may now look to push for an early departure after once again being left out of the Europa League squad in B6.
Ross Barkley left out of Europa League squad once again
Barkley missed out on the Europa League squad at the start of the season, with various other options selected ahead of him.
That didn’t necessarily come as a surprise at the time, with the strength in depth the Villans have in midfield right now.
Injuries have certainly taken their toll on that, with John McGinn, Youri Tielemans and Boubacar Kamara all currently out with problems.
There was an expectation that Barkley would be handed a spot in the continental squad as additional cover, but that isn’t the case.
Aston Villa Europa League squad:
- Goalkeepers: Emi Martinez, Marco Bizot
- Defenders: Matty Cash, Victor Lindelof, Ezri Konsa, Tyrone Mings, Lucas Digne, Pau Torres, Andres Garcia, Ian Maatsen
- Midfielders: John McGinn, Youri Tielemans, Jadon Sancho, Douglas Luiz, Amadou Onana
- Forwards: Harvey Elliott, Emi Bundia, Ollie Watkins, Morgan Rogers, Leon Bailey, Tammy Abraham
The claret and blue outfit have opted to stick by McGinn and Tielemans, while Douglas Luiz has come in to replace Kamara, who looks set to be out for the season.
That is unlikely to go down well with Barkley, especially after making his return to the bench against Brentford last time out.
Barkley could be useful asset for Aston Villa
There have been so few sightings of the midfielder this campaign that many have forgotten just how good he can be.
Having played just 115 minutes of Premier League action, that isn’t a surprise, but he could soon show he has a part to play this season.
Barkley still managed to register four goal involvements in 569 minutes of action last season, all while maintaining an 85.7 per cent pass accuracy.
He also created nine chances, but wasn’t shy in showcasing his work ethic with 35 duel wins, 14 tackles and 10 interceptions.
That sort of output in a limited time could have been useful in the Europa League this campaign, but instead, Barkley could have his eye on the exit door in B6.