Garth Crooks has changed his mind over former Everton star Ross Barkley

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Former Everton star Ross Barkley played well for Chelsea against Burnley in the Premier League at the weekend.

Former Tottenham Hotspur forward Garth Crooks has admitted on BBC Sport that he thought that Ross Barkley was out of his depth when he left Everton for Chelsea.

Barkley joined Chelsea from Premier League rivals Everton in January 2018 for a transfer fee reported by BBC Sport to be worth £15 million.

The 24-year-old attacking midfielder struggled to make an impact for Chelsea during the second half of last season, but the England international is doing well for the London club at the moment.

Barkley – who earns £90,000 per week as salary, according to Spotrac.com – played well against Burnley away from home at Turf Moor in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.

The attacking midfielder scored in the 57th minute and had a good game overall, as Chelsea won 4-0.

The England international has now scored three goals and provided three assists in 391 minutes of Premier League football for Maurizio Sarri’s side so far this season, according to WhoScored.

Former Tottenham forward Crooks has included Barkley in his Premier League Team of the Week, and has admitted that he has changed his mind over the former Everton star.

Crooks wrote about Barkley on BBC Sport: “I honestly thought that Barkley was out of his depth when he went to Chelsea from Everton – but having seen the progress he has made this season under Sarri, I am inclined to change my mind.

“The ball for Alvaro Morata to score Chelsea’s opening goal was something out of the Zinedine Zidane portfolio.

“The England international is starting to look like the player I first saw taking teams apart at Everton.”