Crossword Genius

Edward gets the attention deserved (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

earned

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'deserved' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'edward gets the attention' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'edward' could be 'ned' and 'ned' is located in the answer.
'attention' could be 'ear' (having someone's ear is having their attention) and 'ear' is located in the answer.
This accounts for all the letters.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for earned that I've seen before include "Neared (anag.)" , "Obtained through work" , "Merited through behaviour" , "Merited through work" , "Took home" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
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