Samuel Eto'o says Everton FC's Ross Barkley can be a better player than Wayne Rooney
Everton's Ross Barkley in action during the Barclays Premier League match at Goodison Park
Samuel Eto'o believes Ross Barkley can become an even better player than former Everton FC sensation Wayne Rooney.
The vastly-experienced striker has played with more than his fair share of talented youngsters during stints in Spain, Italy and Russia before coming to the Premier League.
But Eto’o, who has scored four goals in nine appearances since signing for the Toffees in the summer, rates England international Barkley amongst the very best.
The ex-Barcelona and Inter Milan forward has been charged with helping to develop Everton’s exciting youngsters by manager Roberto Martinez , and has taken equal pleasure in tutoring Romelu Lukaku.
Yet he admits that it was the prospect of working with 20-year-old Barkley that particularly excited him in the summer.
“I knew of Ross before I came here and when I met Roberto to talk about the team he was one of the people I was asking about,” said Eto’o. “It is a pleasure and an honour for me to play with him and I think he can become this unique player that everyone dreams of.
“He has the same type of quality as Wayne Rooney had when he was here and he can even be better. He’s still young so it’s our work now to be around him and make sure he improves and delivers what he should deliver.
“I think we need to wait until the end of the season to see the kind of impact my advice will have on the younger guys. Not only on Romelu Lukaku, but a lot of the talented younger players in the dressing room that I think can benefit. We will see then what influence I have been able to have. “
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Eto’o can perhaps help Lukaku the most, by directly showing the £28m club record signing how to become a world-class poacher.
But he is keen to emphasise that the Belgian, who was already leading Anderlecht’s attack by the age of 15, should not look too far ahead as he continues to develop.
“The problem in football is that you can be too keen to project yourself a few years into the future,” he said.
“But the reality is that you have to live the moment. That’s the moment that really counts.
“The moments that you live everyday will be the ones that will carry you to become a great player.
“Now the important thing for Romelu is to focus on all these moments that will maybe lead him to be the great player that everyone hopes him to be.
“I think what is important is not to compare him to other players because he has skills and qualities that other players don’t and vice versa.
“The important thing is not to put pressure on him so that he can focus on himself and his own improvement rather then putting this kind of pressure on where he’s looking at other players and who does what.”
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