Break benefited star duo

LEON OSMAN has admitted Everton asked too much of young guns Dan Gosling and Jack Rodwell earlier this season.

With injuries crippling his squad during the opening weeks of the campaign, David Moyes turned to the then teenage duo to help the Toffeemen out of their sticky situation.

Their performances were enough to earmark them both as potential England stars of the future, with Rodwell heavily linked with a summer move to Manchester United.

But their inexperience was also exposed, in addition to exposing them to a far more intense period of action than was ideal.

Having benefited from a spell on the sidelines, the pair have returned with a sense of purpose, combining to get the two late goals that secured Saturday’s 3-1 win over Manchester United at Goodison Park.

“Everyone knows about our injuries at the start of the season and probably a bit too much was put on these young lads’ shoulders too early,” said Osman.

“It is good that they have been able to have a break and take a bit of a step back.

“Once you do that, you see what quality players they are.”

David Moyes believes Everton can keep their brilliant young guns out of the clutches of the big boys.

The Everton manager insists his club are in a much stronger position than when they sold Wayne Rooney to Manchester United back in 2004.

“They don’t let you down. They came in and both of them got a good goal. There’s been quite a lot of attention towards Jack Rodwell for a while. But strangely enough, it was Wayne that worried me a lot more. It doesn’t worry me quite so much with Jack because we’ve been through it before.

“I don’t think we were quite ready for Wayne when Wayne came on the scene but we’re certainly ready for Jack Rodwell and our team is good enough to carry a Jack Rodwell and keep him and keep bigger suitors away.

“The boy is going to be a good player in time but at this present time it’s potential and we have to bring it along at the right pace.

“If Wayne was at Everton now I think it would be completely different,” said Moyes.

“We’re competing within Europe, we’re trying to beat the top teams, we’re at that end of the league.

“At the time Wayne came on the scene we were fifth or sixth off the bottom so it was a completely different Everton then to what it is now.

“I’ve got a really good chairman and people have been really supportive and yes there have been times when the team’s not been doing so well but I’ve never felt any threat, and that’s the sign of a good chairman.”