Gary Lineker talking on The Rest is Football, with Thierno Barry in a circular frame inset
Gary Lineker talking on The Rest is Football, with Thierno Barry in a circular frame inset
Barry has 10 goals for the campaign in all competitions after scoring twice in Everton's 3-1 win over Coventry City on Friday night.
The Guinea-Bissau international previously made a habit of missing glorious chances.
While it is true Barry is still squandering some good opportunities, he is scoring at a brilliant rate and also chipping in with assists.
Barry's 13 goals and assists combined in all competitions is already five more than he managed in the whole of last season.
Lineker has now shared an "interesting" stat he has learned about Barry, with Alan Shearer also giving his views on the striker's impressive form.
Where Thierno Barry is currently leading the Premier League
Barry's form has led to talk he could leave Everton for a big-six club, but the Toffees surely do not fear an exit anytime soon.
The 24-year-old will just be glad he is scoring goals regularly and playing football with a smile on his face.
With 10 games of the Premier League season gone, Barry boasts the highest expected goals (xG) tally of any player in the division.
He has generated an xG of 7.12, meaning he should have one goal more than the six he has managed based on the quality of chances presented to him.
That is slightly more than Manchester City's Erling Haaland, who has an xG of 6.98, while Liverpool striker Alexander Isak is third on the list with 4.86.
This is something former prolific striker Lineker flagged on Monday's The Rest is Football podcast.
"A word on Thierno Barry. He's quite interesting because he's got a higher xG than Erling Haaland," Lineker said.
"That tells you a couple of things. First, he needs to improve his finishing, which maybe now with two goals he is; secondly, his movement is clearly exceptional and he's getting into positions to score.
"Down the line, because he's still a young man, it's easier to improve your finishing than the natural talent of finding positions to score goals."
Fellow former striker Shearer, who is still the Premier League's all-time leading goalscorer, believes someone other than just Barry is to thank for this improved form.
Who else does Alan Shearer put Thierno Barry uplift down to?
Firstly, nobody deserves more praise than Barry himself.
He was regularly criticised last season and also for the early parts of this season, even if he was finding the net fairly consistently.
But as Shearer pointed out, manager David Moyes also deserves some credit.
"You mentioned David Moyes and you have to give him credit for the work that's gone on behind the scenes," Shearer said."
"There's so many times I've looked at Barry and seen him miss sitters, and I was thinking 'Oh my god. How has he missed that?'.
"Without a doubt he's improving, but he keeps getting in those positions and doesn't stop.
"Already mentally he must be really strong because he doesn't give a flying... It's a great credit to him and he's getting his rewards now."
If Everton are to continue challenging for the European spots, plus hopefully going the distance in the Carabao Cup, they will need Barry to continue on his current trajectory.