Everton manager David Moyes has delivered a clear message to striker Thierno Barry, insisting his first goal for the club does not secure his position in the starting line-up.
Barry breaks his duck but pressure remains
The 23-year-old forward finally opened his account for the Toffees on Saturday 06 December 2025, scoring on the stroke of half-time in a 3-0 Premier League victory over Nottingham Forest. The strike, coming on his 17th appearance, was sandwiched between an early Nikola Milenkovic own goal and a late Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall effort.
Moyes has started Barry in the last six matches after initially rotating him with Beto. While the goal validated that selection, the manager warned it was merely a starting point. "He will not be able to play another six games and only score one goal," Moyes stated bluntly. "He has been given the opportunity but I have to say Beto is beginning to show more. Barry will have to keep playing well."
Adapting to Premier League physicality
The Scottish boss also highlighted an area where his young striker must improve: his resilience and adaptation to the English top flight's demands. Moyes noted that Barry was often dominated by Forest centre-back Milenkovic in the first half and needs to learn to handle robust challenges.
"It's very difficult to train physicality," Moyes explained. "He has fallen down a lot but referees here play on and he's not getting anything. When you are 6ft 4in and you've got what he's got he's going to have to learn to be a victim of being tackled and falling over. I still think he does it too much."
Moyes emphasised that Barry, who has only been in the Premier League for three months, is still far from being fully settled.
Dyche laments Forest's lack of fight
For Nottingham Forest manager Sean Dyche, returning to his former club proved a disappointing experience. He criticised his team's lack of competitive edge in the defeat at Goodison Park.
"I never thought we got close to the performance level from the group – the competitive nature, the desire, the will," Dyche admitted. "They (Everton) looked more up for it and we were lacking that today. It's a real reminder to our group."
The result leaves Moyes looking for consistent goals from his striking options, with both Barry and Beto now under pressure to deliver regularly as Everton push up the table.
