Steve Round believes Jack Rodwell is the best young English player he has ever worked with, but has challenged the Blues midfielder to prove just how good he is between now and the end of the season.

With Marouane Fellaini now sidelined for the remainder of the season Rodwell could be in line to benefit from an extended run in the side.

The 19-year-old is widely acknowledged as one of the brightest prospects in the game and Round insists there's more to come from him.

"He's as good as I've seen, there's no question of his potential," Round told evertontv.

"But the whole point of potential is that he hasn't quite reached it yet, we'll see where he is in two, three years time.

"The sky is the limit for him, I think he can be a tremendous player for Everton and for the national team in the future," he added.

"He's the one that has got to knuckle down and do it on the field."

Rodwell, an established member of the England Under-21 side, has had his fair share of injuries this season and has been restricted to only eight first team starts.

But Round hopes he is past his injury problems and ready to excel in the Premier League run-in.

"He's had a few injuries this season but he looks to have come through that now," he said.

"It's up to him to take the mantle on, he's certainly got the talent and he's certainly got the physical presence.

"He's well regarded and well thought of throughout football and you can see that on the international scene," revealed Round.

"But you mustn't forget he's only 19 coming up to 20 but it's time for him to establish himself."