Yakubu challenges Barry and Beto to improve hold-up play and consistency under Moyes | OneFootball

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Yakubu Ayegbeni has outlined the areas that Thierno Barry and Beto must improve to succeed at Everton.

The centre-forward position was a topic of debate throughout last season, with neither option convincing under David Moyes.

Barry arrived from Villarreal for a £27m fee as part of last summer’s recruitment drive, and ended his debut campaign with eight Premier League goals.

The 23-year-old has been linked with a potential exit, with RB Leipzig reportedly keen on a deal.

Speaking to ToffeeWeb, Yakubu said Barry ‘needs time’ in English football but said the Frenchman must adapt to being a target man.

"It's quite difficult when you look at Barry. He’s a young player, he's been there for a season now, he's been struggling scoring goals.

"He scored against Man City, so we said, ‘Well, we're happy, buzzing’. He needs time. Many players take time in the Premier League, and in the Premier League you don’t have that time. You can see, he can run channels; we just need to keep the ball more.

"Sometimes when we’re in a difficult situation, we have to kick it long. When you look at the history of Everton Football Club, they always have a target man, you know? And Moysey loves it. You just need to keep the ball, and he has to believe in himself to score goals.

"You see sometimes at the weekend, he looks sharp, and the other week it’s not the same. We need a striker who can be doing it every weekend, not scoring today, then the next week we’re struggling.

"But he’s a young player, don’t get me wrong, and he needs time. When you look at David Moyes, I think he gave him games, like five straight games in a row, just to build his confidence, and he didn’t take it.”

Yakubu also discussed Beto, whose third season with the Toffees ended with nine league goals.

The 28-year-old has entered the final 12 months of his deal at Everton, though Yakubu believes Beto has the attributes to succeed in the Premier League. However, like Barry, he said his ball retention is frustrating.

"When you look at Beto, I swear, you know, he’s so big, and he’s tall. I watched him when he was at Udinese, in Italy, and I was like ‘this guy will be so good in the Premier League’.

"Then, lucky for us, we got him, but we expect more from him as a striker, you know? I expect him to keep the ball more often, because he sometimes gives it away so easily. It’s frustrating for the players; you can see it in them and in the manager. Even me watching it!

"But a big lad like him, he can keep the ball. Sometimes you see him, he’s scoring goals, like I just said, scoring goals every week, and then five, six, or seven games not scoring. You see the confidence in him just goes down. I think he’s not a bad striker. Some players, it takes them a long time to get used to the Premier League.

"I think he’s been in the Premier League for three years now. From the fans and supporters, as a striker when you’re not scoring goals, there’s a lot of pressure. We just need that striker who can deliver, week in, week out, for us."