Roberto Martinez has claimed that Everton midfielder Ross Barkley can be as influential for the Toffees as Michael Ballack was in his illustrious career.
The 21-year-old starred in Monday's 3-1 win at home to Queens Park Rangers, opening the scoring from 25 yards in an unfamiliar deeper role.
Asked if Barkley is worthy of comparisons with the legendary German, Martinez told the Daily Mail: "Yes, absolutely. How quickly he takes concepts on, his power and technical ability makes him special.
"He has played in the no 10 role, but in a deeper position he makes good decisions on the ball. It's good for him at his age to experiment in different roles.
"The work he has put in to training recently has been very impressive and he deserved that goal for wanting to take responsibility. It was a lesson in how a midfielder can execute a strike with such quality."
Ballack helped Chelsea and Bayern Munich to multiple league titles throughout a trophy-laden career that also saw him earn 98 caps for Germany.
Martinez's side sit 10th in the Premier League table ahead of facing Southampton at St Mary's Stadium on Saturday.
Shane Callaghan
