Ronald Koeman has warned Ross Barkley that he must earn his place at Everton.
Barkley was an unused substitute during the Blues’ 1-1 draw with Manchester United last weekend and appeared visibly frustrated at not being utilised.
The England international, 23, has struggled to match expectation this season with a strong performances offset by a series of inconsistent showings.
Everton legend Graeme Sharp believes that Barkley could be a viable contender to fill the void left by Yannick Bolasie following his season-ending injury.
And Koeman has challenged the Wavertree-born midfielder to prove that he deserves to be thrown back into the fold ahead of Saturday’s trip to Watford.
“He’s part of the team. He’s played a lot. He did not play last weekend and that is [because of] the competition we have in our squad,” said Koeman.
“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 it’s like this. I expect more from Ross Barkley but I also expect more from other players offensively.
“He needs to accept it. The reaction he needs to show it on the training pitch. That’s the best way to get the answer why you don’t play.
“He’s always trying to do his best but it’s not always about the mentality of the player.
“It’s about tactics, his movements, his productivity and these can all be reasons he didn’t start last week.”