Everton manager Roberto Martinez has hailed Ross Barkley as a player who could define an era of English football - but has warned supporters of club and country to be patient.
Barkley, 20, has been at Everton since he was 11 and has won three senior caps for the Three Lions.
He put in another starring role in Everton’s impressive 1-1 draw at Arsenal at the weekend, prompting Martinez to sing his praises.
The Spanish manager said he had no problem giving a young player such a prominent role in his side, explaining: “When you deal with players you don't deal with their age or their experience.
“Ross is an incredible person, I think he is so mature and has a real love for the game. I’ve never seen an English player with that sort of mentality or personality and I’ve been lucky enough to work with a lot of English youngsters who have been very successful.
Ross Barkley
Born Liverpool, 5 December 1993
Clubs: Everton, Sheff Wed (loan), Leeds Utd (loan)
First-team debut v QPR 20 Aug 2011
Representative England U16, U17, U19, U20, U21
Senior debut v Moldova 6 Sep 2013 Caps 3
“Ross is unique. We needed to find a specific role for him and then allow him to express himself.
“I've great admiration for Ross; he’s got incredible potential but we need to give him time and, as a real diamond of English football, we have to accept he’s not ready and will take time [to reach his potential].
“He has the potential to mark a real era in our football.
“Roy Hodgson needs to decide what role he needs for Ross, if any, and we [at Everton] need to make sure we give him another 50 starts at least to see his evolution. Any player with talent needs to develop an understanding and knowhow to be effective and that’s what Ross needs.
“As a country we should be more protective of our youngsters and if we look after him he can give something unique to the English game and the nation.”
Former England forward Gary Lineker has likened Barkley to his former international team-mate Paul Gascoigne, one of the most gifted midfielders of his generation.
Martinez did not disagree and added: “Its an interesting topic. I look at him and at times I see bits of [Michael] Ballack, at times I see bits of Gazza – that’s for us to make those comparisons, but I can guarantee you Ross Barkley is quite unique.
“He has incredible balance, with both feet really strong, he is really powerful and is developing an incredible awareness around him which is important.
“Technically you can compare him against any young player from any nation from Brazilian, or Dutch or even Spanish players.
"As long as we give him time and respect he’s got development time in front of him he will be OK.”
