Everton boss Roberto Martinez has expressed his belief that midfielder Ross Barkley has the same footballing style as Wayne Rooney.
The 20-year-old made his return from an injury layoff in his side's 3-0 win over Aston Villa on Saturday, and played an integral part in the victory at Goodison Park.
Martinez feels that the midfielder's love of the game is evident when he's on the pitch, and feels that he shares a lot of attributes with Rooney.
"The big strength Ross has is he doesn't look at football as having expectations, he just goes in there with a raw love – he just wants to play," Martinez told reporters.
"He is a kid who loves playing. When you watch someone in a park, then that is the way he plays – he truly loves it.
"He's a street footballer like Rooney – 100%. Sometimes we have to drag him away from training because at the end he's in there with the young kids, playing two vs two and he loves it. We take him away because he doesn't see the energy it takes out of his body."
The Toffees are 13th in the Premier League following their win over Villa.
Simon Sinclair
