The Englishman Ross Barkley says the exchange between Everton and Chelsea has made him a man

Ross Barkley thinks his two-goal performance for England in Montenegro was conclusive proof that he was right to leave the Merseyside Fishbowl.

Barkley's midfield career was marred by incidents on his home ground in Liverpool. He is convinced that a move to London has helped him mature and become aware of the talent that was evident when he was young at Everton.

He explained: "I am far from my family and in London by myself. I am in a totally different environment than Liverpool. I miss being with my family, it's totally different. That's how I mature as a person and as a player. It's good. "

Did he think that he needed change?

"Yes, exactly," he said.

"Since I took this decision, it was good to challenge myself, win trophies and progress as a player. I changed from when I was 18, 19 or 20 years old. My diet is much better. My approach to games is much better and I approach them with good preparation and I am more relaxed than thinking of something else.

"I will continue to work hard and it will come."

This certainly happened Monday night.

Barkley said, "This was my best performance for England. Both goals were scored and I took part in a few goals, but felt that I could have played better. "

And even though in this young English team, Barkley is almost a seasoned professional, he is determined to draw a lot more, adding, "We can all improve. We are not in the game to accept where we are. We need to improve at club level – and at the international level there is still a lot to do.

"I never thought I would not play for my country. We are all going through difficult times. But I'm just believing in myself now and trusting myself.

"My goal is to add something: the future is really promising. You see how young players perform and how good they are – Declan Rice, Jadon Sancho and Callum Hudson-Odoi. They were scary at the training. It's great to participate. "