Roberto Martinez praises consistency of Everton’s young stars
Sunday 6 December 2015 07:03, UK
Roberto Martinez is refusing to get carried away with the form of Everton’s emerging young talent – but believes they have made great strides in their fledgling careers.
The Toffees welcome Crystal Palace to Goodison Park for Monday Night Football and will aim to stretch their unbeaten league run to five matches.
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Romelu Lukaku, Ross Barkley, Gerard Deulofeu and John Stones have played pivotal roles for Everton this season and Martinez believes they have shown a consistency maybe not seen from other young players of the same age.
Lukaku has scored 11 goals so far this season and is only behind Leicester City's Jamie Vardy in the Premier League scoring charts.
The Belgium international, 22, also notched his 50th Premier League goal in the 4-0 victory over Aston Villa in November.
Stones (21), Barkley (22) and Deulofeu (21) have also grown in stature and Martinez feels his squad has a great blend of youth and experience.
"Anyone can get carried away and we have done that over the last few years in the British game with young players," the Everton manager said.
"We see a young player in a good moment and we make them superstars. In our case we have been very cautious and we have just made young players with important roles in our team.
"We don't treat them by age, we treat them by what they do and they have always been at the front of our thoughts as it is a way you can reach a level that probably you cannot achieve with money.
"Barkley, Lukaku, Deulofeu, Stones - they are not just young players who have appeared on the scene and had a good game here or there, they have been very consistent for the last two seasons.
"Those are important players. They are effective and give you reliable performances in your team.
"Lukaku played 31 games in the league last season and has played 97 per cent of all the minutes in the league this season.
"John Stones has been a source of inspiration for other players of a young age. Barkley is the same.
"You are talking about young players who know their role and are ready to cope with anything which comes their way.
"The balance in the dressing room is fantastic - we have experienced players who maybe don't grab the headlines but who allow these young players to have important roles and now we just have to see how far they can go."
The quartet's form has seen more established players kept out of the side and Martinez believes increased competition is driving up performances as a whole.
"The hardest thing to do is to score goals and have a threat, and this season we have found a very interesting moment of form of certain players," Martinez added.
"We have a large attacking threat and a very balanced squad, and I am pleased with the way we have coped with injuries - at one time we had five defenders out of the squad and as a team we always cope with everything which is thrown at us.
"You have players waiting for their opportunities and that is why you see players performing so well - no one can drop their standards or take it easy in games.
"I am sure certain individuals will grab headlines but it is the strength of the squad and the attitude to push each other to see how far we can go together."
