Jack Rodwell is hoping to have forced his way into Stuart Pearce's plans after shining against Germany.
Toffees youngster keen to remain a key part of quest for U21 glory
Jack Rodwell is hoping to have forced his way into Stuart Pearce's plans after shining against Germany.
With England having eased into the semi-finals of the European U21 Championship the Young Lions are now desperate to taste international glory.
They progressed out of Group B unbeaten, with their latest outing seeing them claim a 1-1 draw with old adversaries Germany.
Everton youngster Rodwell was on target in that fixture, excelling in a defensive midfield post, and he has now set his sights on playing a prominent role in the latter stages of the tournament.
"You just have to take your chance when you get it and hopefully I did that and I'm in the manager's thoughts," Rodwell said.
"There is always more to come, you can always improve. We're all working together and know it's a squad game.
"We're definitely confident going into the semis, we go in to play our own game and hopefully we'll get through it."
Toffees boss David Moyes will have been an interested spectator during Rodwell's stand-out showing on Monday, and the Scottish coach admits he is expecting big things from the teenager in the future.
Experience
"He has only just turned 18 and it's going to take experience and time," said Moyes.
"But undoubtedly he has a good future ahead of him. You can see he has ability and we're keen to push him on.
"Next season, instead of playing five, six or eight games, it might be up to 18 or 20, depending on how his progress is.
"But you can see already that Jack has got great pace and athleticism."
Meanwhile, Pearce has also piled praise on Rodwell and insists he would have no qualms about throwing the youngster into semi-final action.
"He's a quiet character but strong mentally," Pearce said.
"I feel there is a strong character in there and he undoubtedly has great ability.
"He's so comfortable on the ball, it's difficult to compare him to other players. The ball comes to him and you don't expect him to lose it. At this level of international it is a great commodity to have."
