Barkley backed to succeed Rooney

Cape Town - Ex-Everton player Kevin Kilbane has tipped Ross Barkley to succeed Wayne Rooney and become England's talisman in the future.

Kevin Kilbane, talking exclusively to website Squawka.com, has placed this title on the 20 year old’s shoulders after Barkley’s impressive season under the guidance of Roberto Martinez at Goodison Park.

Barkley is thriving in the attacking system employed by manager Roberto Martinez and his club form has helped him earn a place in England’s Soccer World Cup squad. Barkley and Rooney are both expected to feature in England’s international friendly against Ecuador on Wednesday evening. However the pair are playing under completely different circumstances as Barkley is the man in form whilst Rooney’s spot in the team has come under serious doubt after concerns regarding the Manchester United forward’s form and his fitness.

The tournament in Brazil is likely to be the Manchester United forward’s last chance to fulfill his potential on the world stage but Barkley’s ascent to the pinnacle of the game is only just beginning.

In typical English fashion, the press and fans have often labelled a player as a star too early and many players have struggled to come to terms with the hype but Kilbane is confident Barkley will be able to manage the hype and go onto surpass Rooney as the pinnacle of England’s attack.

“When I was at Everton he was just a kid coming through the academy so I never had the opportunity to play with him as a team-mate, but all the hype surrounding him, even back then, trickled through the club and soon enough he had the reputation of being the next Wayne Rooney.

He’s different from Wayne in the fact that Rooney plays further up the pitch while Ross tends to do his work from deeper and spends more time carrying the ball. Everything he does is off the cuff and exciting,

Can he be the successor to Rooney? Yes. He is the natural player to take up that role in the future and from his performances this season we can see how he drives Everton from the middle of the park.”

England are in Group D at the 2014 Soccer World Cup and face Italy, Uruguay and Costa Rica.