Chelsea midfielder Ross Barkley has opened up about his spell at Everton and how he is improving under the tutelage of Maurizio Sarri.

The England international revealed that the lack of coaching at Everton has hampered his development and that he would have been a better player if he had a manager like Sarri early on in his career.

He said: “Over the years I haven’t really been coached much. I’ve thought about it, and I believe if I did have that type of approach (similar to Sarri’s) from a coach from when I was younger I would have improved a lot more but these things happen in football”.

Barkley’s dig at his former club won’t please the Everton fans.

There is no doubt that Sarri is a better manager than the likes of Moyes, Koeman and Martinez. However, other young players like Stones and Lukaku developed pretty well during the same period at the club.

Barkley has been a squad player for Sarri at Chelsea so far and he will be hoping to hold down a regular starting berth soon. The attacking midfielder will need to improve his decision making if he wants to be a star at Stamford Bridge.

There is no doubt that the former Everton player has tremendous talent and technical ability. It will be interesting to see if he can fulfill his potential with the guidance of Sarri now.