Everton under-18s manager Paul Tait believes that Anthony Gordon has got all the attributes to be a star at the club after coming through some difficult patches.
The winger has impressed throughout the course of the campaign so far having been handed multiple opportunities by new boss Rafa Benitez since his appointment in the summer.
The 20-year-old's progression saw him called up to England's under-21 squad for the first time over the current international break, and he bagged two goals on his debut at that international level last week.
The attributes that he is showing at both club and national level are no surprise to Tait, who believes that the youngster is one of the fastest players at the club over a short distance.
And the coach believes that Gordon's confidence in his own ability has been behind his drive to physically improve - as well as show off his technical prowess.
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Tait told evertonfc.com : “He always had potential, but he wasn’t always a high-flyer.
"He went through what a lot of the young boys do, when they have growth spurts and start growing into their body.
"That can affect you and sometimes you can lose a little bit of confidence. That’s something Anthony never lost.
"He always had belief in his own ability. We always felt, once he matured physically, we would have a player on our hands. He’s done that now.
"I believe he is one of the quickest at the club over 10 and 30 metres, so physically he’s got all the attributes.
"And I always felt he had that Premier League quality in terms of his in-possession work – he can go past players and he can finish. He always stood out in that regard."
Gordon is starting to find his feet back at Everton after enduring a difficult time on loan with Preston North End in the second half of last term.
The winger made 11 Championship appearances for his new side after confirming his move on January deadline day, but saw his opportunities restricted after the exit of Alex Neil as the club's manager.
However, his former U18s manager at Everton believes that will have been a good experience for the young player to have in his quest to become a Premier League star.
"Sometimes you need to go through those things to build that resilience as a young player," Tait added.
"Every loan is a good loan. Even if you don’t play a lot for whatever reason, that’s where you build that resilience.
"I think that’s given him that extra bit of fight and hunger to maybe prove a few people wrong and say, ‘Look, I am a good player and I deserve to play in the Premier League’."
