Venables hails Everton youngster

Everton star Wayne Rooney has already been hailed by Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger as the best young player he has seen in the Premier League for many years - now Leeds boss Terry Venables has taken the plaudits a step further.

Venables believes Rooney, who thrust himself into the spotlight a fortnight ago when he ended Arsenal’s remarkable unbeaten run with a contender for goal of the season, is a cross between two greats of the game in Paul Gascoigne and Kenny Dalglish.

Gascoigne is undoubtedly one of English football’s finest talents of the modern era, playing under Venables at both Tottenham in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and again at a time when Venables was England manager.

Dalglish, of course, was a legend for Celtic, Liverpool and with Scotland, winning countless trophies and medals at club level and earning 102 caps for his country.

High praise indeed from Venables, who will get the chance to judge the validity of his own comments tomorrow when 17-year-old sensation Rooney and Everton visit Elland Road in the Premiership.

“He has got that Gascoigne physique and a Dalglish-thing about him with the way he runs with the ball and takes it. He has got a mixture really,” remarked Venables.

“From what I have seen of Rooney he looks magnificent. The goal he scored against Arsenal was hot stuff. That was great.

“Rooney is exciting. It’s natural you want to know more about him and talk about him. It’s a great story. Arsenal go to Everton and this young boy scores this goal.”

Not wanting to get too carried away, Venables then tempered his views as he added: “I don’t really want to be hyping him up because Everton don’t want that.

“You have to be careful and I think David Moyes is going to take his time with him and that’s got to be right. Everton seem to be handling it the right way because he’s a long way to travel yet.”

Venables knows how detrimental hype can be for a burgeoning talent as he saw that close at hand with Kenny Sansom, a player he opened the door to at 16 when they were both at Crystal Palace.

“He looked fantastic, but then after quite a few games he took a dip and we thought ’bloomin hell’, he is not going to be as good as we thought,” recollected Venables.

“But it was just a temporary thing because he then kicked on again. That often happens. You go up, then go off because it’s a lot to handle, but then go again.

“That’s why people like to keep you away from the hype because sometimes it affects you without you knowing it.

“Now the club isn’t hyping him up. They’re saying leave him alone and let him grow up a little bit before you start getting carried away.

“They’re also saying to the boy ’keep your feet on the ground because you’re a young lad with a long way to go’. They are trying to do it with common sense.”

Rooney will be hoping to help Everton end their miserable record at Leeds as they have not won a league game at Elland Road for 52 years.

Venables, in contrast, will be looking for his side to build on their UEFA Cup win over Hapoel Tel-Aviv, although he is certain to be without midfielder Olivier Dacourt who picked up a groin strain in Thursday’s second round first-leg tie.

Lee Bowyer, who missed the game with flu, should be fit along with Nick Barmby, who was substituted midway through the second half due to a tightness in his hamstring.

Defender Teddy Lucic comes back into the squad as he was ineligible to play, but Venables remains without the injured Dominic Matteo, Robbie Fowler and Seth Johnson.