Gareth Barry has revealed how he has helped Everton team-mate Ross Barkley stay positive during a challenging start to the season.
Barkley was not named in either Sam Allardyce or Gareth Southgate's England squads for the 2018 World Cup Qualifiers against Slovakia, Malta and Slovenia.
The 22-year-old's performances at Everton have also come under scrutiny and he was dropped for the 1-1 draw with Manchester City in October.
"He obviously has had it really good for two years since Roberto Martinez came here and saw him as the focal point of his team," Barry, 35, told Sky Sports.
"But being left out of the England squad and dropped at Everton for the first time, that's the time you need to have a little word with him to keep him going.
"When things are going well it's easy to keep going, so Ross needed a few words from a few of the experienced players to keep his head up at a time like this."
While Barkley has had an inconsistent start to the season, Barry has impressed for the Toffees, with manager Ronald Koeman recently calling him "the best player" he has managed.
Speaking ahead of Everton's Super Sunday clash with West Ham, live on Sky Sports, Barry says there are "no hiding places" under Koeman.
"He is making things really clear, players know exactly what they are doing at the start of the week and there is a clear structure," he said.
"There are no hiding places. If you are not reaching the levels you will get found out. He's not messed about, he has told players how it is.
"If he is thinking something and players are not doing it he is letting them know. For me that's all a player wants, what a manager is thinking, nothing being hidden."
Having started the season with four wins from their opening five Premier League matches, Everton's form has dipped lately.
The Toffees have not won since September 17, and Barry is eager to snap the barren run against the Hammers.
"It's not a fantastic start because there are a couple of games where we would have liked to have picked up points and we didn't," he said. "When you are on a run of games in the Premier League it only takes one game sometimes to give a team a little bit of self-doubt, and we got affected a bit when we ended that run
"But at the same time that's what we are looking to get back on. It's a huge game against West Ham in front of our own fans for the first time in a while, if we can get three point that's the sort of run we want to start again.
"It's times like this experienced players like myself need to keep going and reassuring the boys we are good team and the quicker we get back to winning ways the better for everyone."
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