Thursday 8 December 2016 15:56, UK
Everton manager Ronald Koeman has challenged Ross Barkley to prove he is worthy of a regular place in the starting line-up.
The England midfielder was dropped for the 1-1 draw at home to Manchester United on Nissan Super Sunday, and appeared to be visibly upset when he did not feature in the match.
Barkley has cut a peripheral figure at Everton over the last 12 months, but Koeman has no time to indulge the 23-year-old and says he must fight his way back into the team.
"He played a lot, he did not play last weekend and that is the competition we have in the squad," Koeman said.
"If you like to play you need to show that to the manager during the whole week and he is trying to do his best.
"We know he is one of the players who needs to bring more productivity and that is the talk we had about his situation.
"Sometimes it can be a tactical reason, sometimes I expect more from Ross Barkley but I expect more from other players offensively.
"He needs to accept it. He needs to show it on the training pitch and that is the best way to give the best answer as to why he doesn't play.
"He is always trying to do his best but it is not always about the mentality of the player, it is about tactics, his movement, his productivity and those can all be reasons he did not start last week."
