Teammates keen for forward to show his value on the pitch
Thierno Barry warms up prior to the Premier League match between Everton and Chelsea at Hill Dickinson Stadium. Photo by Richard Martin-Roberts - CameraSport via Getty Images
Thierno Barry warms up prior to the Premier League match between Everton and Chelsea at Hill Dickinson Stadium. Photo by Richard Martin-Roberts - CameraSport via Getty Images
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Thierno Barry is said to be working hard at Finch Farm in a bid to make a positive impression upon the return of the Premier League.
The striker was the subject of some boos from the home end during Everton’s win over Chelsea, a reaction to his social media posts that followed the narrow defeat at Arsenal seven days earlier.
In the aftermath of that match, Barry claimed friends had to be escorted from the Everton end due to safety concerns after an incident police later described as an “altercation”. The forces probing what happened, Merseyside and the Metropolitan Police, are aware of claims it involved people who appeared to be Arsenal supporters. Barry has since posted on Instagram to state his friends were supporting Everton.
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Focus has since turned on the striker, who has scored six goals in his first season since signing from Villarreal in the summer for a fee of around £27m. His most recent goal came in the draw at home to Leeds United in late January, however, and Beto has started the last few games ahead of him, an approach David Moyes will likely persist with after his brace paved the way for the rout of Chelsea before the international break.
Barry’s teammates are aware of the scrutiny the forward is under and David Moyes said the issue had been "addressed" internally when he spoke to the media before the Chelsea match. There is now a hope for unity as the club fights for Europe, with the France youth international potentially set to play an important role.
On Barry's reaction to the events of the Chelsea game Michael Keane, one of the more experienced players at Finch Farm, said: “He's always trained well, he always trains hard and obviously the reception he got at the stadium wasn't ideal. These things happen, but I think it's important now for us all to stick together.
“I think he's a great lad, he works hard, he's scored some important goals so far and we're going to need him for these last seven games. So hopefully we can all stick together and get behind him and get him back to scoring goals again.”