Sheffield Wednesday must wish Everton loan deal lasted longer | OneFootball

Ross Barkley showcased his top talent in a brief sample size at Hillsborough

Ross Barkley has had an extremely productive career in the Premier League and beyond, with the experienced midfielder currently part of an established European outfit in the form of Aston Villa.

The Liverpudlian made a name for himself just over a decade ago, being one of several local stars to break through the academy setup at Everton, going from being a boyhood supporter at Goodison Park to eventually progressing through the ranks at Finch Farm and featuring regularly for the Toffees.

Barkley will no doubt be in debt to many people who have helped him along the way, as well as being one of several England internationals who sourced regular minutes in the EFL to aid their development during the early stages of their senior career.

The midfielder's high ceiling of potential was spotted by former Everton centre-back and Sheffield Wednesday manager, David Jones, in the Autumn of 2012, with those at Hillsborough left in awe of the standards of which the box-to-box style player was capable of performing at, and subsequently, wishing his time as part of the Owls' engine room lasted longer than just 13 games.

Ross Barkley impressed during limited sample size of games for Sheffield Wednesday

After making a mini-breakthrough on Merseyside during the 2011/12 campaign, Barkley's first taste of football away from Goodison came in S6, joining Wednesday initially on a one-month loan in September 2012, making his debut on the same day in a 3-0 away defeat to Brighton.

"We have been chasing Ross for some time and I'm really pleased to have him on board," Jones said at the time.

After making his Hillsborough bow against Huddersfield Town in a 2-1 defeat, he would net his first goal for the newly-promoted side in another loss by the same scoreline in the Steel City against Bolton Wanderers.

Barkley's best performance for the Owls came in a 3-0 victory away to Ipswich Town, with the midfielder at the double just days after his loan was extended by a further month, before the last of his four goals came in the following game, giving his side the lead in a 2-1 win over Peterborough United.

In total, he featured 13 times for Wednesday, of which 12 appearances were starts, before being recalled by his parent club after captain Phil Neville suffered a lengthy absence through a knee issue.

After another short stint in the Championship in the same season with Wednesday's Yorkshire rivals, Leeds United, Barkley has featured for a number of the biggest clubs in the Premier League and in France, amassing over 440 appearances and scoring over 65 goals.

The bulk of those came during the rest of his time at Everton, going on to play 127 times for the Toffees under Roberto Martinez and Ronald Koeman, with his best seasons coming in 2013/14 and 2015/16, with a spectacular goal in a 3-2 defeat to Manchester City in May 2014 a standout moment.

Barkley also featured 33 times for England between 2013 and 2019, scoring on six occasions as well as being named as part of Roy Hodgson's squad for UEFA Euro 2016, failing to make an appearance in the disastrous tournament for the Three Lions.

A £15m move to Chelsea in January 2018 saw him feature 100 times for the West London club, although 79 of his appearances and 10 of the 12 goals scored at Stamford Bridge came in the 2018/19 and 2019/20 campaigns.

He looked somewhat rejuvenated during a loan move with Aston Villa under Dean Smith during the 2020/21 campaign, before consistently performing as a key player for both OGC Nice and Luton Town after signing on free transfers.

After being a standout name during the Hatters' relegation season, Barkley didn't return to the second tier for the first time in 11 years, returning to Villa Park in July 2024, with then Luton boss Rob Edwards stating: "(Ross) still wants to play for England and believes this gives him the best chance to do so".

In his first season back in B6 under Unai Emery, the midfielder made 30 appearances and scored four times, including a crucial winner against RB Leipzig in the UEFA Champions League, which was yet another reminder to Wednesdayites as to how they wished Barkley could have at least lasted the entirety of the 2012/13 season at Hillsborough.