Luton Town ace Ross Barkley admits he angered Everton fans when leaving for Chelsea.

Barkley is returning to his best form this season at Kenilworth Road.

"I did get threats," he told The Times. "It's part of the game. I expected it. It shouldn't be.

"Home-grown player came through, loved the club. My dream as a youngster wasn't to be an England player, it was to be an Everton player. Once I'd played for Everton it was my dream then to play for England and I achieved those dreams. I came to Chelsea to challenge myself and better myself and play with the top players that had won the league the previous year.

"When I went back [to Merseyside] I used to get fans shouting from the cars, calling me names. I used to just laugh. Fans are passionate and if you're one of them they feel you've let Everton down. They'd shout 'money grabber'. The fans called me a 'rat'.

"My mum stayed so she found it difficult. Whenever she'd go out people stopped and asked, 'Why did he decide to leave?' My mum's tried to keep a low profile and just go about her business. That's one thing she hated but within a year or two it settled, it was fine."

He added: "Now, when I go back to the city, everyone's got over it. The fans last year when I was on a free wanted me to go back."