Everton captain Phil Jagielka is fighting for his place under Ronald Koeman following a dodgy run of form that saw him concede a penalty and get substituted during last weekend's draw against Swansea City.
Koeman has offered his support for the 34-year-old defender who was named in Gareth Southgate's last England squad but acknowledged his performances need to get better for his partnership with Ashley Williams to continue.
'He is experienced enough to deal with critics. But he needs to know that, he’s a national team player and he needs to improve and be an important player with Ashley as the two centre-backs,' said Koeman.