Barkley: I feel at home at Chelsea

Ross Barkley admits he feels at home with Chelsea and is hoping to put last season’s injury nightmare behind him.

The midfielder joined Chelsea in January in a £15m move from boyhood club Everton but, due to injury problems, failed to make an impact during his first season at the club.

Barkley, once described as the new Paul Gascoigne, is hoping this season will be different after spending the summer rebuilding his fitness.

He will also be playing under a new manager in Maurizio Sarri who could well see something in Barkley that his predecessor, Antonio Conte, did not.

Despite last season’s problems, Barkley admits that he feels at home at Chelsea and is hoping that he can put a tough year behind him.

“It was tough,” Barkley told the Daily Mail of his first season at the London club. “I didn’t see it as a waste of time. I got my body feeling better than it has ever felt before. I feel fit and strong. When you have a new manager, you have to impress.

“The new manager has a different style of play. Going forward, getting close to the box, having shots, trying to create, being well drilled. It’s a new style.

“I am really prepared and feel at home now. I feel like I have been here for a long time and get on well with all the lads.”

Barkley spent the off-season giving himself a head start in building his fitness following his horrific hamstring injury last year.

Life under a new coach could be just what Barkley needs and, when asked about the prospect of a return to the England setup, the player revealed that his focus was to get back into the first team.

He said: “To earn a regular spot at Chelsea is my main focus.

“If I do well at Chelsea, the national team will take care of itself.

“Chelsea is a massive club. You aim to win the Premier League and challenge for trophies, with the aim to win everything. It will take care of itself if you keep producing the goods.

“So I am focusing on what I can do for my club, but one of my goals is to get back in the England set-up. I arrived with a long-term injury and have done everything perfectly. I will go into this season strong and ready.

“I kept in touch with a few of the England lads in Russia and wished them well. I’ve been in one squad under Gareth Southgate and have seen the direction the team is going in.’

Chelsea kick-off their Premier League campaign away at Huddersfield on Saturday, August 11.

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