Everton’s veteran midfielder Gareth Barry believes that young teammate Ross Barkley can become a top player in the future.
Barkley equalised for the Toffees in their 2-1 Capital One Cup third round victory on Tuesday night, before Gerard Deulofeu scored a long-range free-kick.
Barry believes the 21-year-old can reach the levels of former-England midfield pair Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard.
Barry told Sky Sports: “Ross has got all the potential to become as good as them,”
“He’s got everything that they had to match their ability, but the one thing he’s going to need is consistency – performing, scoring goals, assisting on a regular basis, and those two players did that for 10, 12 years in the Premier League, so that’s the target for Ross.
“He has got all the ability to go on and be a really top player. He’s obviously still young so he’s still learning certain parts of the game.”
The England international has hit the ground running this season, scoring four times in eight games this season in all competitions. The campaign has been a major improvement on last season, when the youngster struggled for form and scored just twice in 36 appearances.
Boss Roberto Martinez has also praised the youngster for his growing maturity this season, following a difficult campaign last season.
How good can Ross Barkley become in the future?
