Ronald Koeman has insisted that he has "no problem" with the incident involving Ross Barkley in a Liverpool nightclub at the weekend and has backed the Everton midfielder to learn from the altercation.
Barkley was seen on CCTV being struck in the hours after the Toffees' 4-2 win over Leicester City at Goodison Park in what was described as an "unprovoked attack", leaving him with a bruise to the face.
Everton boss Koeman does not blame the 23-year-old for simply being 'in the wrong place at the wrong time', however, and expects him to quickly move on from the incident.
"It is not what you like to read in the press about your players," he told reporters. "I think it could happen to anyone in town and maybe now you realise it is maybe not the best place [to be]. It was the wrong time at the wrong place.
"But it is no problem for me if the behaviour [is good]. He didn't drink, he was driving his car, and if you meet those [types of] people then something can happen. Maybe that is the reason I live outside the town. You learn from incidents that happen and that's good because you need to learn."
Barkley has also been urged by Koeman to agree a new contract at Goodison Park, or else he may be forced to cash in during the summer transfer window.
Daniel Lewis
