Ronald Koeman has explained why Ross Barkey was omitted from Everton’s defeat to Swansea.
Barkley found himself consigned to the substitutes’ bench at the Liberty Stadium as Gareth Barry was given the nod ahead of the Blues midfielder on Saturday.
The England international, who has yet to commit his long-term future to Goodison Park, made a second-half appearance in the reversal to the Welsh club.
And Koeman has revealed his thought process in Barkley’s limited game time.
He said: “We tried to find productivity in the team, and we arrived with a different solution.
“The diamond that Swansea play, that was the reason I brought Gareth in.
“We wanted to have that control in the midfield, and I thought that we had that.
“But OK, you need to make those kind of decisions as a manager.”