Barnsley captain and top scorer Jacob Butterfield got his first taste of international football last night but unfortunately the 21 year old had to view it all from the substitutes bench.
Butterfield who has been in sparkling form for the Reds this season, emerging as a key figure under Keith Hill and attracting attention from clubs such as Everton, Sunderland, Wolves and Southampton was called up to the Under 21 squad for their Euro 2013 Qualifiers against Iceland and Belgium and was an unused substitute as the young Lions thrashed their Icelandic counterparts 5-0 at Colchester United’s Western Homes Community Stadium last night. Goals from Watford’s Marvin Sordell, Liverpool’s Martin Kelly, West Brom’s Craig Dawson- who previously worked under Hill at Rochdale, and an injury time brace from Aston Villa’s Gary Gardner continued England’s 100% record. Butterfield will be hoping to win his first cap on Tuesday when the Lions travel to Belgium.
Meanwhile Reds director Don Rowing is hoping Butterfield will extend his stay at Oakwell. After being mainly used from the bench under Mark Robins, the Bradford born youngster has become the fulcrum under new boss Hill and has recently captained the side. This has led to interest from Premier League and Championship clubs, which will worry the Oakwell faithful, especially with Butterfield’s contract expiring this summer.
Rowing though told the Star:
We’ve made Jacob a substantial offer and we really hope he accepts it.
“At this stage we’ve had no interest from any clubs wanting to sign him. Jacob’s a Barnsley player and we want him to stay longer at the club. He’s done very well this season.
“Of course he’s going to attract attention with what he’s been doing on the pitch, but we believe we’ve offered him a very good deal and the chance of regular football.
“We would like to think that signing a contract would put his mind at rest and then he can continue performing well for us.
“But we’ve not had any communication back from the player at this stage and until then there’s not much we can do. It’s business as usual for Jacob at the moment.”
Source: FOOTYMAD
