Rom: Barkley like a brother to me

Romelu Lukaku says that Ross Barkley is like a brother to him.

Everton saw the return of Barkley on Saturday and he certainly proved to be influential during the 3-0 victory over Aston Villa.

The Belgian striker spoke on Monday of his pleasure that Barkley was back in the first-team, after injury had kept the England international out of the entirety of the season until the weekend and Lukaku says that he was pleased to have his good friend back on the pitch.

“He is like a friend and brother to me off the pitch. I am very happy that he is back on it because he brings something that the whole team needs.

“He has that rawness, that skill, that power. He is a perfect partner for me to play up-front with and I am very happy that he is back.

“There are loads of players who can help me, but he has something that none of us have. I can’t explain it. He is the best player in our team.”

The Belgian was back on the score-sheet and the team re-found the form which made them such a threat last year to dismantle Villa.

The side are still in the bottom-half of the table, but they clearly feel that they can get back to where they want to be now that Barkley is back.