Barkley back in light training

Everton boss Roberto Martinez says Ross Barkley’s is back in light training as he continues his recovery from a knee injury.

The 20-year-old suffered medial ligament damage before the start of the season, and is yet to feature for Martinez’s side during 2014-15.

Martinez had previously stated that Barkley’s rehabilitation was progressing better than expected, and on Thursday the Spaniard revealed that the midfielder was back doing light physical work.

“He’s recovering quicker than we thought but it’s still in the early stages,” he said.

“Medicine and football don’t go hand in hand but he’s doing really well.

“He’s starting to run, which is something we didn’t expect until next week.

“I expect it will be a few weeks still but he’s well ahead of where we expected and it’s all positive.”

Martinez also moved to dismiss speculation that Barkley had been a subject of interest from Manchester City, and was unequivocal in his response when asked whether the club had ever received any enquiries.

“No,” he said. “There’s nothing to comment on from my point of view, it’s a rumour and we’ll leave it there.

“I’ve spoken in the past about interest, we’ll take it as a compliment and move on. We just want Ross fully fit.”

Everton’s defensive record has been a problem this season, with their 13 goals conceded in five Premier League games more than any other side in the division, and Martinez is well aware things need to change as he prepares his team for a Merseyside derby with Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday.

“It’s been an area where we’ve been poor,” he said. “We need to improve and fine tune.

“We haven’t made any major changes in those positions, it’s just making sure the focus as a team to defend is better.

“We need to improve in that department and it’s clearly an area we need to resolve because it’s affecting scorelines.”