The Renaissance of Ross Barkley at Luton Town

It was just 10 years ago that Ross Barkley enjoyed a breakout campaign at Roberto Martinez's Everton, forming a dynamic duo with Romelu Lukaku in attack, racking up 6 goals and 2 assists in 34 Premier League appearances, and leading Everton within touching distance of a Champions League spot. His explosive movement and eye-catching goals from long range drew comparisons to Frank Lampard, and it saw him nominated for the PFA Young Player of the Year alongside Luke Shaw, Aaron Ramsey, Daniel Sturridge and Ross Barkley, only for Eden Hazard to come away with the award.

Prior to doing so, however, Barkley was forced to deal with adversity. When he looked set to make his Premier League debut in October 2010, his leg was broken in one place after a collision with Andre Wisdom in an England U-19 match. He nevertheless worked his way back to fitness and joined the first team for training in the summer of 2011, with Tim Cahill heralding him as the most talented footballer that he had worked with.

His debut finally came on August 20, 2011 in Everton's first home match, playing the full 90 and being named Man of the Match in a 1-0 loss to QPR. He enjoyed a promising start which prompted legendary Arsenal defender Martin Keown to shower him with praise, stating, "Mikel Arteta's been on the bench because of Ross Barkley. He's young, but he'll be one of the best players of the game we'll ever see in this country."

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