Thursday 8 January 2015 16:45, UK
Everton manager Roberto Martinez is confident Ross Barkley will recapture his best form as the season progresses.
The England midfielder has struggled to produce the sparkling displays of last season since returning from injury, and has appeared hesitant at times.
Barkley has regularly found himself switched to the left of midfield in the current campaign, which may have contributed to his dip in performance.
Although the 21-year-old made a couple of mistakes in Tuesday’s 1-1 draw with West Ham in the FA Cup, Martinez has full faith in the player.
As a young player, you keep developing and growing and the thing I admire about Ross is that he will never shy away from the ball.
"As a young player, you keep developing and growing and the thing I admire about Ross is that he will never shy away from the ball," said Martinez.
"He had a couple of situations against West Ham where he gave the ball away and he quickly wanted to get it back and that is what pleases me.
"I think Ross Barkley is a phenomenal talent but he is still a young man and is still learning and he needs to get through certain periods where he can make decisions in a better way.
"But he is a reliable character and is someone who will be positive in the squad whether he is having a good or a bad game.
"When you have that personality and character, you will get into a point when your talent will shine. Ross Barkley is the least of my worries.
"Last year he was a young player enjoying his football; this season he is Ross Barkley and that brings a completely different approach from the opposition.
"That means it is harder to find space, it is harder to get into positions where you can affect the game and that is something when you overcome it, it becomes an advantage.
"He is still getting through that process so I don't see it as being clear-cut in terms of how effective he was last season and not that effective this season.
"He is evolving, he is becoming stronger and better and his tactical awareness is improving all the time.
"What we have to remember is when Ross Barkley is on the pitch the opposition use two players against him and someone else should be free elsewhere and we need to use that.
"We are a flexible team in that respect and it has always been a strength of ours and we will carry on doing it."
