Everton defender Phil Jagielka insists England's young players are as good as any in the world.
The England defender watched Barcelona winger Gerard Deulofeu on loan at Everton last season and claims he is no better than young English players.
He said: "Gerard came in and he was quite a selfish player but he has a tremendous amount of ability and went past people. We are probably taught to be less selfish but technically there is no difference.
"The ideal comparison is Raheem (Sterling) to Deulofeu and for me Raheem had the best season. That is a direct comparison.
"It is too easy to point the finger but if you take a step back to what we have got, we have some tremendously talented individuals.
"If you look at Ross (Barkley), he has a good physique, is good in the air, eats the right food, and more importantly loves the game. You cannot get him off the training ground. He had a couple of injuries when he was younger which set him back a bit and he did not get to play that much football because he was not around the first team at a young age.
"This season has proved how much he has grown mentally. He went through a bad period but the manager stood by him and he came out of it. He has got the whole package, but we don't want to put too much pressure on him. "People compare him to Wayne Rooney but they are not the same players. In terms of mindset, they are the same.'"
