David Moyes believes Thierno Barry has returned with a much better mindset after a difficult first season at Everton.
Thierno Barry has already scored four goals in Everton’s opening two games of the season – a remarkable contrast to last campaign when the striker had to wait until December to find his first goal for the club.
The 23-year-old followed up his opening-day goal against Crystal Palace by hitting a hat-trick in Wednesday night’s 4-0 Carabao Cup victory over Preston North End.
And according to David Moyes, there is a clear reason why Barry already looks like a different player.
Speaking to BBC Radio Merseyside after Everton’s 4-0 victory at Deepdale, Moyes explained why he believes Barry has returned for the new campaign with a much better mindset.
“He’s certainly come back with a much better mindset since he came back.”
Moyes acknowledged that last season was difficult for Barry, particularly given the circumstances of moving to a new country at a young age.
“Last year he found it pretty tough generally, which a lot of young boys from overseas do.”
The Everton boss also pointed to Barry’s personality and the language barrier as factors which made his adaptation more difficult.
“He’s quite a quiet boy and didn’t really speak the language particularly well.”
However, Moyes has seen a noticeable change in Barry since his return for the new season.
The manager believes the 23-year-old is now more settled, more confident and, importantly, pushing himself harder.
“I think he’s come in with much better mindset, much better feeling and he’s pushed himself a bit harder as well.”
That extra work is now beginning to pay off.
Barry was in the right places at the right times against Preston, scoring three times as Everton progressed comfortably in the Carabao Cup.
Moyes believes that is no coincidence.
“Sometimes you get that wee bit luckier the harder you work and the more you try.”
There was also a sense that Barry could have had even more than his three goals.
Moyes admitted the striker missed some big opportunities, including when he went through one-on-one.
But the fact that Barry was repeatedly finding himself in those goalscoring positions was clearly encouraging for his manager.
“At the moment a couple of things went for him tonight but he got himself in the right positions to score.”