Shortly after first bursting into the Everton team, Ross Barkley was moved by David Moyes from a number 8 to a number 10 role so that he would no longer lose the ball in dangerous areas in front of his own defence.

I argue that Barkley’s ball retention has massively increased, but his use of it in the final third has not. Now under Koeman, Barkley is used in a mixture of different roles but is also not a guaranteed starter.

I believe that if Barkley can successfully re-develop his game to become a transition-orientated central midfielder at a club focused on high-speed transitions, then he can become not only a key player for his Everton but an automatic starter for his country.