Barry ‘keeping Barkley’s head up’

Gareth Barry has revealed how he has helped Everton team-mate Ross Barkley stay positive during a challenging start to the season.

Barkley was not named in either Sam Allardyce or Gareth Southgate’s England squads for the 2018 World Cup Qualifiers against Slovakia, Malta and Slovenia.

The 22-year-old’s performances at Everton have also come under scrutiny and he was dropped for the 1-1 draw with Manchester City in October.

“He obviously has had it really good for two years since Roberto Martinez came here and saw him as the focal point of his team,” Barry, 35, told Sky Sports.

“But being left out of the England squad and dropped at Everton for the first time, that’s the time you need to have a little word with him to keep him going.

“When things are going well it’s easy to keep going, so Ross needed a few words from a few of the experienced players to keep his head up at a time like this.”

While Barkley has had an inconsistent start to the season, …

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