Former Blues shot-stopper Nigel Martyn believes Everton have the perfect mentor for John Stones in Tim Howard.
Martyn, 47, who himself helped nurture a young Jonathan Woodgate while at Leeds United, reckons an experienced goalkeeper can have a huge influence on the development of raw starlets like Stones.
The last year has seen the 20-year-old progress spectacularly from Everton’s Under-21s squad into World Cup contention, where he is on standby for the England party heading to Brazil.
Stones capped a fine first full season at Goodison Park by making his England debut in the 3-0 victory over Peru on Friday evening.
But despite this meteoric rise, it is easy to forget the former Barnsley youngster has played only 54 senior first-team games combined for the Tykes and Everton so far in his fledgling career.
And Martyn says that playing in front of USA international Howard will have helped Stones make the grade even quicker.
“Like Tim [Howard] with John Stones, I had that with a very young Jonathan Woodgate at Leeds,” Martyn said. “We had a senior back four at the time with Lucas Radebe and David Wetherall but Jonathan broke into the team when he was very young.
“He was quick which helps because if he did make a mistake he can overturn those errors. But if they are keen to learn, a few helpful hints from behind from us goalkeepers can usually get them in the right place.
“But if they have got the quality, they will make the grade.”
The American has since gone on to play nearly 350 games for the Blues, leaving Martyn in no doubt that he has been one of the club’s best signings of the modern era.
He added: “I think Tim has been the model of consistency ever since he has followed me into the nets. He just doesn’t seem to make mistakes and he always comes up with big saves.
“I know David Moyes said that I was one of his best signings but I think you could say that about Tim because of the amount of years he has played and the consistency he has shown.
“He’s been an excellent signing and player for this club.”
McCarthy proves Everton doubters wrong
Eyebrows were raised when Martinez returned to former club Wigan for a third recruit shortly after taking over in the Blues hot-seat, especially when the Catalan paid £13m for the Republic of Ireland midfielder.
But his number two Jones says he never doubted the 23-year-old would thrive on Merseyside, despite being so closely linked with the DW stadium and Martinez's former regime.
He said: “When you go to a football club as a management team there’s always one player who always gets identified with that management team. We had it at Wigan initially with Jordi Gomez and then here with James McCarthy.
“The pressure is on that player more than any other signing because they have come from your former club. He’s had to get through those hurdles first and then he has gone from strength to strength after that.
“So it’s not been easy for James. Out of all the signings, he’s had the most difficult challenge and he has come through that no problem.”
The midfielder’s industry, both on and off the ball, has particularly caught the imagination of Evertonians.
But Jones, 44, explained that he is used to such efforts from McCarthy since he first began to coach him north of the border almost a decade ago.
“He has been like that since I met him at 15,” he said. “I’m not kidding you – anybody who knows him knows he is so consistent as a human being. He loves his football.
“If you check his [McCarthy’s] record, he is closing in on 300 games already and he is only 23 years old.”
Jones believes McCarthy has always possessed natural talent but reckons Martinez deserves particular praise for the way he has helped his young charge absorb the nuances and disciplines of playing in central midfield.
Jones, who was also Martinez’s number two at both Swansea City and Wigan Athletic, added: This is not a guy who at 23 is not experienced. Physically and technically he always had that ability.
“We took him to Wigan with us and the manager has to take a huge pat on the back for the tactical aspect that he has given James. Every other area he had but I think the gaffer, being a former midfield player, has taken James to another level.
“I haven’t got a Facebook or Twitter account but I received a copy of a tweet the other day that said two thirds of the world is covered by water and the other third is covered by James McCarthy. I didn’t think it was a bad comment.”
“You’re always looking for players to improve. But his usual standard to start with would be acceptable. There are intricacies we can give him to his game which means he can take it to another level. But the good thing is he always wants to improve so you’ve got a chance.”