Jay Rodriguez has been given a thankless task this season, asked to score goals for the least potent side in the Premier League that will finish the term in rock-bottom place.

The assumption then, is that it's been a poor campaign for the 28-year-old, but that's the curious thing about West Brom's relegation plight - it's some of their summer signings, chiefly Rodriguez and Ahmed Hegazi, that have had the most positive impact. Those who were part of the squad that finished tenth last season, on the other hand, have struggled to replicate anything near the same standards.

And in some ways, this season wasn't really about results or success for Rodriguez anyway. Since suffering an incredibly serious injury just a matter of games after forcing his way into the England squad ahead of the 2014 World Cup, it's been a cruelly difficult road back for the Burnley-born forward.

He just couldn't revive his role in the first team at Southampton, a club he scored 15 goals in 33 Premier League appearances for under Mauricio Pochettino's guidance four seasons ago , making last summer's departure to the Midlands somewhat inevitable.

In that sense, this season has primarily been Rodriguez's chance to prove that injury hasn't diminished his game so incredibly that he'd have to step down a level into the Championship.

Although that's exactly where West Brom are now heading, the one-cap forward's form has exceeded that initial target; amid all the agricultural performances resulting in the Baggies' miserly points total, Rodriguez has been a real rose amongst the Hawthorns - West Brom's top scorer in the Premier League and at the epicentre of perhaps the strangest quirk of their campaign, impressive performances against England's top clubs.

Indeed, West Brom have beaten Manchester United and Liverpool this season, the Premier League's second and third-best clubs, while taking points off Tottenham and Arsenal and even duking it out with Manchester City in a 3-2 home defeat.

Across all competitions, Rodriguez has made ten starts against English football's Big Six in 2017/18 and produced a return of five goals, including a brace in the shock 3-2 FA Cup victory over the Reds and the header at Old Trafford last weekend that inadvertently sealed Manchester City this season's title.

His averages from those games highlight a player desperate to make an impact with what little of the ball he's afforded. 2.2 shots and 2.9 successful aerial duels per match demonstrate Rodriguez's scoring threat and physicality. A 79% pass accuracy, especially for a player in such an advanced position, shows shrewd and precise use of the ball, while his 3.7 possession gains epitomises perhaps the forward's most appealing trait - an inherent desire to work for the cause and to create his own chances by winning the ball back.

In the modern game, industriousness from the frontline is becoming more crucial than ever before, and when coupled with his firepower against the Premier League's top sides, it could be what ensures Rodriguez not only stays in the top flight this summer but actually moves a few rungs up the ladder. Everton, particularly, would make a good home for the 6 foot 1 attacker, for a few crucial reasons.

First and foremost, Rodriguez fits Sam Allardyce's ethos, however unpopular it may be, and the fact he lacks the dynamic speed of more conventional wingers makes him an interesting counter-weight to Theo Walcott on the opposite flank. Secondly, Rodriguez can double up as a centre-forward if required, and that's probably where Everton have most desperately lacked this season - Ronald Koeman still believes his dismissal owed much to the club's failure to sign Olivier Giroud last summer.

But thirdly and most importantly, Everton need players who they know can have an impact against high quality opposition, to breach the gap between themselves and the Big Six. That was the club's fundamental ambition when they brought in Koeman and remains it under Allardyce, even if the style of football doesn't quite stack up.

For all the concerns over the philosophical direction Allardyce has taken the team though, they'll quickly die out if the effectiveness of it starts to improve - especially away from home and against top teams.

Rodriguez, who has shown this season he deserves to play in the Premier League but is still valued by Transfermarkt at just £9million, could prove to be the difference. Would you back a summer swoop, Everton fans? Let us know by voting below...

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