As if any Evertonians need reminding, April 19 sees the club’s first Wembley appearance in 14 years when they take on Manchester United in the semi-finals of the FA Cup.

Rodwell was only four when Dave Watson scaled the steps of the Twin Towers following Everton’s last cup win over Ferguson’s men.

But for him, the national stadium already holds a very special memory, having become the first player to score a winning goal at the new Wembley in a 1-0 win over Spain in March 2007.

Four months earlier, Rodwell had captained England under-16s to Victory Shield glory with a 2-1 win over Scotland.

And in March last year, he netted for the under-17s in a 1-1 draw against France in a UEFA European Championship qualifier.

But barely a year on, he now has a foothold in the under-21s squad, having come on as a late substitute in a 2-0 defeat to France last month.

And those efforts were rewarded recently when he signed a five-year deal with the club.

The recipient of the club’s Young Player of the Year award at the recent Everton Hall of Fame dinner at the Adelphi Hotel, Rodwell stepped off the bench on Sunday to deliver a number of crunching tackles as Moyes’s men cruised to a 4-0 demolition of Wigan Athletic.

Naturally, his family are fiercely proud and protective of him.

Although he’s now a household name on Merseyside, Jack’s feet will be kept firmly on the ground. Mum Carol will see to that.

Speaking just before Jack celebrated his 18th birthday, she said: “Jack didn’t want a big party or anything like that. We are so proud of him. He has handled all the attention very well. Jack has always had time for his mates and football is his life.

“As a child Jack ate, drank and slept football.

“I think his ambition was always to be a professional, although he didn’t speak about it.

“We’re not really keen on doing interviews with the press because its not about us. After he scored against Aston Villa we had them all coming round.”

Home support has always been a big factor for the 18-year-old not just from the terraces but from his mum and dad Malcolm.

Carol continued: “Like any parents we’d do anything for our boys. Tom (Jack’s brother) is a very good footballer as well, so we’d always be ferrying the boys to different games and training.

“Dinner would have to be on the table at a certain time and Malcolm would come home from work, have a quick wash, and then be back out taking Jack to a match.

“Tom likes other things like his music and going out, but Jack is football mad.

“His heroes when he was growing up were Alan Shearer and the Brazilian striker Ronaldo. He used to follow players for their ability and not particularly what team they played for. Now it seems strange when people come up to Jack and ask for his autograph, but we know that’s how it is with footballers.

“When he comes home it’s back to normal.”

So far, it would seem Everton and Jack Rodwell are made for each other. There seems to be little chance of that changing in the near future.