Everton's Ross Barkely still destined for the top.

The 21-year-old has struggled to provide big numbers for goals and assists in 2014-15 but he remains a huge talent and Everton fans should be careful what they wish for.

This season was supposed to belong to Ross Barkley.


Upon his arrival back in England with the national team last summer, one of the few to have emerged from an embarrassing World Cup campaign with any credit, the then 20-year-old looked to have the world at his feet.

Rated by his peers as one of the top five youngsters in the country, beginning to blossom on the international stage under Roy Hodgson, and linked with his pick of big moves - most notably Manchester United - the man long dubbed the 'new Paul Gascoigne' appeared destined for super-stardom.

Only it hasn't turned out that way. A lack of goals, a lack of assists, a failure to nail down a favoured position – a variety of factors appear to have prompted waves of criticism throughout the season. A vocal clique of Evertonians have ruthlessly blacklisted him.

Manager Roberto Martinez has been forced on to the defensive. "Ross has achieved an incredible level of maturity this season," he said at the start of April. "He's had to go through a period of difficulty the same way we have as a team. We know who he is and how good he is through good moments, through bad moments and we don't get carried away when the extreme surroundings affect comments about his performances."

BARKLEY TRANSFER LATEST

By Scott Loney Manchester City remain at the front of the queue to sign Ross Barkley, though the Premier League champions are unwilling to spend over £25 million on the midfielder. For now, Manchester United do not see him as a potential signing. Everton, though, are not willing to sell the 21-year-old unless they receive a transfer fee closer to £50m, with the Toffees aware that Liverpool's Raheem Sterling is set to demand a similar sum should he leave Anfield this summer.

But many remain unconvinced. There is a feeling among fans that the 21-year-old has been worked out by Premier League defences and in turn has lost all confidence. His missed penalty against Burnley last Saturday was yet another black mark against his name - and with Manchester City's interest, for one, in signing Barkley still strong, many believe cashing-in on him may not be the worst footballing nor business decision Bill Kenwright has ever made.

Such is their displeasure at some of Barkley's showings that some supporters have gone about trying to prove his true allegiance is with neighbours Liverpool. Though this is not an infrequent occurrence for Merseyside-born players on both sides of Stanley Park, it further illustrates the ill-feeling some fans now have for one of the finest players to come off the Finch Farm conveyor belt.

A closer look, though, and a talk with those in and around him, paints a vastly different picture.

Former Everton midfielder Phil Neville tells Goal that Barkley is "the best young talent" in England. "I think what you get with every young player is you get ups and downs," he said at the launch of Predikta - the football prediction game that connects. "But in terms of being the best young talent we've got in this country, that's in my mind, beyond a shadow of the doubt what he is."

For a club's fans who have already seen Wayne Rooney and Jack Rodwell leave the club before fully reaching their potential since the turn of the century, one could understand if making Barkley persona-non-grata at Goodison is a measure of protection - protection against the hurt of again losing a major talent too early.

And for all his critics, Barkley's statistics this season suggest he is making strides rather than taking backward steps in his development.

Both his passing (89.24%) and shooting (44.83%) accuracy have improved on last term while has already created more goalscoring opportunities (27) in this campaign than he did in 2013-14 (26). There is a reason why sides challenging for Champions League places see him as a potential signing during the summer transfer window, and the numbers back that theory up.


While many will point to the fact that as an attacking midfield player Barkley should have registered more than just the single assist in his 58 Premier League appearances to date, he is one of just three Everton players, along with Leighton Baines and Luke Garbutt, to have created more than one chance per appearance this season.

Statistics do not always tell the whole story but the majority of the numbers surrounding Barkley's season suggests things are not as bad as they seem. As well as his improved figures in an attacking sense, Barkley is also one of the club’s top performers in terms of passing in general, with only John Stones of the players to have made at least 10 league appearances completing a higher percentage of their passes.

"Ross is a player, for me, that I think Roy Hodgson and Roberto Martinez should be building a team around because you only find players like this once in a blue moon and it's time for him to show what he can do," adds Neville.

Certainly improvements need to be made. As well as in the goals and assists column, Barkley could do with recovering the confidence to avoid taking the 'safe' option in his passing that has crept into his game.

Against Burnley, Barkley made just one pass into the opposition's penalty area, with a number of his balls to team-mates going sideways rather than creating any forward momentum. There is also a feeling his decision-making is below the required level of a top-class performer, with a number of attacks coming to an abrupt end when he picks up the ball.

But, in time, many remain convinced that Barkley will realise his potential. Manchester City's interest in him is not simply down to the fact his nationality benefits a need for 'homegrown' players in a Champions League squad. Martinez talks him up not solely with a view to massaging the midfielder's occasionally frail confidence.

He is, simply, a young player going through a rough patch.

"This year he's had his ups and downs and he's just beginning to get back to form. He's had a couple of injuries, he's coming off the back of a World Cup, and these are problems young players go through," says Neville.

"There comes a time in their career where they have to start performing week in, week out and he had a fantastic year last year but Ross has got that quality.

"It's something for Ross that's a great learning curve for him. He is still the best young talent for me in the country."

Sunday's visit of Louis van Gaal's side could provide Barkley with the platform he requires to get the Everton fans back on-side. Certainly, scouts across the country do not share some Everton fans' dismay at Barkley's perceived lack of progress this year, while the likes of Neville and Martinez expect the youngster to emerge an even better footballer for all his ills this campaign.

If and when he does, the only question will be whether it is at Everton or elsewhere. Some fans should be careful what they wish for.