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Former Everton midfielder Ross Barkley believes he wasn't "coached much" at Everton but insists it was tough to leave his boyhood club.

Barkley moved to Chelsea in January for £15m having turned down a move to Stamford Bridge in the summer.

The 24-year-old was signed under Antonio Conte but the Italian coach left Chelsea in pre-season and was replaced by Maurizio Sarri.

Barkley is enjoying working with the former Napoli boss and believes his methods and philosophy will help take his game to the next level.

The Wavertree-born midfield feels that he lacked coaching whilst at Everton where he played under David Moyes, Roberto Martinez and Ronald Koeman.

“Over the years I haven’t really been coached much.," Barkley said.

"I'm at an age where I understand football a lot more and I know how important it is to take the different tactics from different managers on board and I’m ready to understand every aspect of the game."

He added: "When I broke into the Everton side under Roberto Martinez I was playing in the No10 role and I’d never played there before from when I was developing at the Academy to the first-team and I was getting used to that role.

"I was a No 8 or before I broke my leg I was a deep lying midfielder. I've always been a centre midfielder either in a two or a three, now I'm in a three I feel very comfortable."

Barkley, in a press conference for Chelsea's Europa League game with Vidi FC, went onto say: "In the first-team it can sort of change because of game to game managers are focusing on weekly results and not more player development. A lot of players in first team are older experienced players who know the game."

Barkley admits he has wondered how his career would have progressed had he worked with a coach with Sarri's outlook, sooner.

"I’ve thought about it, and I believe if I did have that type of approach from a coach from when I was younger I would have improved a lot more but these things happen in football," he said.

Barkley ended a 13 year association with Everton at the beginning of the year and though he has no regrets, he says the decision was tough.

“It was a really difficult choice for me to make, but I felt it was the right time to take the step," he said.

“I believed we were going in the right direction at Everton, to be a massive club and compete for titles, but it didn’t go that way and I needed to take this chance.”