Ex-Toffees midfielder Barkley backed to deliver for Luton against his former employers Everton

Luton chief Rob Edwards expects hugely influential midfielder Ross Barkley to deliver once more when going up against his boyhood club in Everton this evening.

The 30-year-old spent almost 15 years at Goodison Park after coming through the ranks as a youngster, playing over 150 times for the Toffees, scoring 27 goals, as he went on to win the first of his 33 England caps during his lengthy stint at Goodison Park. He left in 2018 though, joining Chelsea for a fee of £10m, but after spells with Aston Villa and Nice, it’s only really this season that has seen him rediscover his best and most consistent form, with 30 consecutive starts in all competitions for the Hatters, scoring five goals and adding four assists, as he has been spoken about in terms of an international recall as well.

With Everton now safe from relegation, asked how he thinks Barkley, who was jeered when returning to his former employers when Luton won their FA Cup clash 2-1 earlier in the campaign, will approach the game, Edwards said: “It’s a special club for him. It’s his club, that’s where he came through and played a good number of games, so it will be a special day for him.

"He’s a Luton Town football player and I don’t mean this in any disrespect, but it’s not the Ross Barkley show. He’s got to make sure he plays his way and plays the right way for us, doesn’t try to take on too much responsibility and he can have a huge effect for us of course. He’s a big player for us, but it’s always nice to go up against your former team.”

Team-mate Carlton Morris was of the same opinion as his manager, saying: “For sure, it always gives you a little boost, even a subconscious boost playing against your former teams. I don’t think any of us will need any more motivation for that one for sure and Ross is the type of character, he doesn’t need any motivation for any game, especially the position we’re in at the moment. But any extra motivation will benefit the team.”

Barkley has been one of the stars for Town this season, as he has looked at his prime best when playing alongside Arsenal loanee Sambi Lokonga in the centre of the park, their on-field partnership coinciding with Luton’s most productive return of three wins from six top flight matches. Lokonga is now back from a hamstring injury which saw him sit out nine games, as he completed 90 minutes for the first time since February 18 when losing 2-1 at Wolves on Saturday.

With the 24-year-old gaining in match fitness, Edwards hopes it sees Barkley attain even greater heights during the run-in, as the return of the Belgian international could be the difference between Town still plying their trade in the Premier League or dropping back to the Championship. He said: “We saw the best of Ross when he was playing alongside Sambi.

"Sambi’s had a couple of games, so hopefully he can begin to rediscover his best form as well. I know that’s difficult to be out for so many games and to be expected to come back in and just pick up where you left off. Certainly the two of them were forming a really, really good partnership that was looking excellent, in big games as well. So we’d love to see that getting back to where it was before Sambi's injury and I think Sambi will be better from having those two games, hopefully we see more of it again.”

Although unusually for Barkley he didn’t finish Luton’s last game, replaced by Elijah Adebayo with 12 minutes to go at Molineux, his withdrawal was no concern to Edwards, the boss adding: “It was a tactical thing. He felt the back of his knee a little bit earlier on in the game, so I don’t think he was quite able to be his full self. He’s been fine this week, trained fine, so no problems at all.”