Ambitious Trippier happy to consider return to Oakwell

The Manchester City defender, 20, has just completed a season-long loan stay at Oakwell and now has a fortnight to wait before returning to training with the England squad.

Coach Stuart Pearce named Trippier in a provisional 40-man party, which will be reduced to a final squad of 23 at the start of next month.

Trippier, who has still to play a first-team game for City, won three Under-21 caps this season thanks to a string of impressive performances in the Championship with Barnsley.

However, competition for places in the England squad has intensified and Pearce has a wealth of options at his disposal, including former Sheffield United defenders Kyle Naughton and Kyle Walker, who play for Tottenham Hotspur but have been on loan with Leicester City and Aston Villa, respectively, this season.

Other big names in the provisional squad are Liverpool striker Andy Carroll, Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere and Manchester City’s Leeds-born defender Micah Richards, who have all played for the full international side. The tournament starts on June 8 and is being staged in Denmark.

For Trippier, the possibility of mixing it with some of Europe’s best young talent is a dream come true, but the Bury-born defender openly admits that he owes a great deal of his success to the time at Barnsley.

“If it wasn’t for the gaffer (Mark Robins) and the players at Barnsley, I don’t think I would even be in the England Under-21 squad,” Trippier told the Yorkshire Post. “When I first came, I found it difficult but I have taken everything on board and I have learned off players like Bobby Hassell and Andy Gray, who have been there and done it.

“Mark Robins is a good manager and I have got on with all his staff. He has put a lot of trust in me and given me confidence by playing me at right wing or right-back or in a three-man midfield. I think I have had a good season and I have enjoyed every minute of my time at the club. It is a good set up, I feel much fitter, and I know my game has improved a hell of a lot.”

Trippier has 12 months on his contract at mega-rich City and knows it may be tough to force his way into manager Roberto Mancini’s plans. He is determined to give it another go this summer, in the hope of making an impact but, if his future does lie elsewhere, says he could be tempted back to Oakwell next season.

“When I was at City, playing reserve team football, I was getting a little bit frustrated. I hope I have proved a point by showing the manager that I can do it in the Championship. There are a lot of good youngsters in the City reserves and it is obviously going to be hard when we have loads of top players like Tevez, Silva and Ya Ya Toure,” he added. “But that won’t stop me trying to push on and it’s not going to stop me from trying to get in the first team.

“If I keep doing what I’ve been doing, hopefully the manager will give me a chance. I will go back for pre-season training and, if I am part of the first-team squad, I will show the manager how good I am and see if I can get in the team.

“I know that City’s scouts have been watching me because they came to see me at the hotel (in Barnsley). I will go back to City this summer and see what happens. If I am sent out on loan again, I would love to come back to Barnsley. But, obviously, I will have to look at all my options and see what is best for me.”

England, who finished runners-up in the 2009 European Under-21 Championships, are No 1 in the UEFA European rankings. They have been drawn in a group that includes Spain, Ukraine and the Czech Republic.

Prior to the tournament, they will play fellow finalists Norway on June 5 in a friendly at Southampton.

“It’s a privilege to be be picked for your country and I am dead proud,” he said. “Whatever team the manager puts out, I think England have a good chance of winning this summer. All 40 players are good, although I know 17 are going to be disappointed if they are not picked .

“But every player there is a class player. It would be a privilege to play with people like Andy Carroll and Jack Wilshere, they are all good lads. I have played with Jack and against him. He will be one of the best players in the world. That’s how highly I rate him.”

Manager Robins, meanwhile, released five players yesterday, including defender Matt Hill and winger Martin Devaney.

Hill, who joined the club from Wolves this season, had been a regular in the side but Devaney, who has spent six years at Oakwell, was out of favour and recently on loan at Walsall.

Hill could yet be offered a new deal on reduced terms but, for now, he is free to talk to other clubs. The Tykes also freed striker Steven Bennett, defender Conor Branson and midfielder Daniel Fearnehough.

As previously reported, winger Reuben Noble-Lazarus has been offered a new deal. So, too, second choice goalkeeper David Preece and winger Alastair Taylor.

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