Friday, 1st November, 2013
Everton boss Roberto Martinez has branded former Liverpool legend Mark Lawrenson's comments about Gareth Barry's England future as "typical from a media person".
Lawrenson yesterday opined that Barry should stick to his commitments with Everton, where he is on loan from Manchester City, rather than seek to prolong his England career.
Barry has 53 caps with England so far, but has not played since May last year. His recent club performances, though, have prompted calls for a national recall.
Lawrenson stated that Barry "has had his time at international level and England have moved on", but Martinez simply pointed to the "pool of quality talent" at his disposal that were making the international grade with aplomb.
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"It's a typical comment from the media from a person who doesn't know the day-to-day and how the players are", Martinez told a press conference today.
"We have so many players who can help the English team, should the manager need them.
"We can talk about Barry, Phil Jagielka, Leighton Baines, the emergence of Ross Barkley. Leon Osman showed he's a player who can give you something completely different.
"We're not here to answer any questions. We're here just to try to help the national team and we have a pool of quality of English talent, who are at the disposal of the England manager."
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