Chelsea midfielder Ross Barkley fears he will get a hostile reception from Everton fans when he faces his boyhood club for the first time on Sunday.
Barkley joined Chelsea for £15m in January having spent the previous 13 years at Goodison Park.
The England international upset Everton supporters by refusing to sign a new contract amid talk he wanted to join a club in the Champions League and ended up leaving on the cheap.
And since Maurizio Sarri took over as manager in July, the 24-year-old has claimed he is now being coached properly after going several years without.
Chelsea take on Everton at Stamford Bridge on Sunday and Barkley is likely to be named as a substitute after starting against BATE Borisov on Thursday.
But Barkley is already wary of how Everton fans will react to seeing him in a Chelsea shirt and said: "I don't think it (the reception) will be the best.
"I was approaching 25 and I felt looking back I could have improved a lot more [at Everton]. At Chelsea I knew I'd improve a lot quicker around better players, world-class players.
"I'm not nervous, I'm excited to play against my former club and team-mates - I understand how some of them play, so that could be an advantage for me.
"On the day I might get a few nerves as it will feel a bit strange. I'm looking forward to catching up with some of the staff there who I used to get on really well with."
