Everton’s academy is the proud producer of plenty of high-quality talent, with Wayne Rooney the paramount example of someone who rose through the ranks and went on to dominate the world stage.

However, when Jack Rodwell was coming through, Evertonians thought they had their next generational talent ready to go.

Having made his Premier League debut at 16, he too seemed destined for a career that would take him to the very top.

David Moyes himself claimed in 2009 that “he’s got a good future ahead of him” before labelling his “great pace and athleticism” as some of his main assets.

Despite this, injuries and some poor career choices led to what most would describe as a massively wasted talent.

He made 109 appearances for the Toffees before Manchester City came calling, unloading a whopping £15m in 2012.

With his hulking physique and explosive change of pace, combined with a technical ability to rival many in the squad, it seemed like the natural move. However, with hindsight, it seems like it might have come a step too early in his career, and he seemingly suffered from it.

Rodwell would make just 25 appearances for the Citizens before making his ill-fated move to Sunderland, where he would become something of a pariah due to his reluctance to terminate his £70k-per-week contract as they slumped down the divisions.

Chris Coleman remarkably came out whilst managing the Black Cats to stand against the 31-year-old: “I’m sure we’ve gone down the legal route of that situation and we are stuck with a player that doesn’t want to play for Sunderland football club and wants to leave.”

He now is playing football in Australia for Sydney FC, a side that he joined this summer.

It marks a phenomenal drop in quality from the man who held the hopes of an entire club when he burst onto the scene.

To see how Moyes first labelled him, and how Coleman eventually viewed him, is a damning microcosm of Rodwell’s career. Whether it was injuries or his own decisions, his career will remain a huge amount of potential wasted.