Gareth Barry has claimed that Everton teammate Ross Barkley has the potential to scale the same heights as Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard during their legendary careers.
The 21-year-old midfielder marked his 100th Toffees appearance with a goal in Tuesday's 2-1 League Cup win at Reading, with manager Roberto Martinez claiming that the youngster is on a "different level".
It was a 30-yard free kick which saw the Merseysiders draw level, and Barry says that such heroics reminded him of the Premier League legends, but warns that matching their consistency is a battle in itself.
"Ross has got all the potential to become as good as them," he is quoted as saying by The Mirror.
"He's got everything that they had to match their ability. But he's going to need consistency — performing, scoring goals and assisting on a regular basis.
"Those two players did that for 10, 12 years in the Premier League, so that's the target for Ross."
The England international has netted 12 times for Everton overall.
Shane Callaghan
