Ronald Koeman has warned Ross Barkley that he must "improve" his game or face the prospect of being dropped from Everton's first team.
The England international was hauled off midway through the Toffees' meeting with Sunderland on Monday evening - a match Koeman's men would comfortably go on to win 3-0 at the Stadium of Light.
Rather than glossing over the 22-year-old's performance in the North-East, Koeman instead admitted after the match that Barkley simply was not good enough to justify staying on the field, and has now reiterated that his spot in midfield is under threat.
"There was a reason to change Ross at half-time because he did not play well, he lost many balls and players of that quality can't lose those kinds of balls," he told reporters.
"We analysed the game as always and had individual talks. I had them with Ross and he needs to improve and, OK, we will see at the weekend."
Everton, who sit third in the Premier League table after the fourth round of fixtures, take on Middlesbrough at Goodison Park on Saturday.
Daniel Lewis
