Everton manager Roberto Martinez believes midfielder Ross Barkley is set for success having learned from previous setbacks.
With the new season only a month old, the 19-year-old has already scored his first Everton goal, netted for England Under 21s and made his senior international bow.
Yet, despite Barkley’s meteoric rise, Martinez insists the Everton starlet has developed great maturity through earlier struggles in his career.
Barkley joined Everton at the tender age of 11 and was expected to make his Premier League debut in 2010 when he broke his leg in three places during an England Under 19 match – an experience which Martinez expects will stand him in good stead.
“Ross will never get affected by everything that’s happened to him because he’s had really tough experiences already,” the Spanish manager said in the Daily Mirror.
“He’s seen both sides of the game having suffered such a horrific injury. Something like that puts your career in perspective and tells you that everything could be taken away from you. Probably that has given him a unique maturity for such a young man.
“He’s also been out on loan. He’s played at different clubs with different styles of football, he has been through everything.”
With a wealth of experience – both on and off the field – under his belt at such a young age, Martinez sees a big future in the pipeline for Barkley.
“The good thing about Ross is that he never gets carried away, nothing fazes him,” he added.
“He’s such a talented footballer. I’m extremely excited about his future because I think he can reach unseen levels.”