IF ever there was a sign of the impact Ross Barkley is making at Everton FC, it has come by virtue of the rumour mill.

Last weekend Manchester United, this week Chelsea; the Premier League’s big guns are already glad-eyeing the latest young EFC sensation to roll off the conveyor belt at the Finch Farm academy.

But the message from Everton is loud and clear. Barkley is going nowhere, with Goodison the right place for the 17-year-old to continue his development.

“He won’t be affected, it’s just speculation,” says assistant manager Steve Round of interest in Barkley. “Ross is quite a level-headed lad and has some very good mentors in the dressing room here that will always advise him correctly on doing the right thing every day and being the right professional.

“That makes our job much, much easier. That’s testament to the likes of Phil Neville, Tim Cahill and Phil Jagielka.

“Ross knows he is only just starting out. He has had a good start to this campaign, last season was disrupted massively for him as he was out for 10 months with a broken leg, so he has missed much of his coaching from that first year.

“He is potentially a good player, but potential by definition is something you could be capable of.

“He hasn’t done it yet. But in the future I expect him to be a top player for Everton, not for anybody else.

“You only have to look at some of the other players. Jack Rodwell was the cause of a lot of speculation, but he stuck it out, now he is playing regular Premier League football and is getting better with every game.”