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DOMINIC KING: Ross Barkley was meant to be a star for England after breaking through as a youngster, but the 28-year-old now finds himself without a club after being released by Chelsea and is at a crossroads in his career

It was November 2015 and Ross Barkley was sitting in the library of Everton's Academy, peering into the future. The setting was appropriate. Libraries invite you to dare to dream and this enthusiastic young man's mind was open to all kinds of possibilities.

'As a group, we can go down in the club's history if we are the next team to win something,' Barkley declared, before focusing on personal goals. 'Winning the league, winning everything really. I want to win something with England; win a few things with England, to be honest. England has the talent.