Why Comparing Ross Barkley to Wayne Rooney Is Wrong

Any youngster to emerge from Everton's famed academy will automatically draw comparisons to Wayne Rooney, especially those with an attacking game.

Jack Rodwell experienced it for long periods, as did Jose Baxter, briefly, but the most obvious current comparison is Ross Barkley.

Both players appeared as almost throwbacks to another era, honed by all-action street football that sees them tear through opponents with powerful dribbles.

For Barkley, though, lining his future up against Rooney's would be pointless.

Michael Sohn/Associated Press

To start with, they generally play in different positions—which is quite a major reason. 

Sure, both have similar attributes, and Rooney began his career looking much like Barkley does now: Capable of eye-catching runs and regular flashes of genius.

Yet, Barkley will almost certainly never be the clinical finisher Rooney has become, notching 20-plus goals in a season; that's simply not his game. Expecting him to do so would be a mistake.

At the moment, his role centres around his spacial awareness and his ability to excel in tight spaces in the final third, attributes that make Roberto Martinez keen to use him as a No. 10, for now.

Defenders get drawn to him, anxious about his raw dribbling skills, and he frees up space for others.

Rooney has obviously played as a No. 10—and as an attacking midfielder—but as Barkley progresses, his role is likely to drift further from Rooney's and see him in deeper berths, playing the type of positions Michael Ballack or Steven Gerrard have played.

Martinez has gone on record several times stating his belief that the youngster will eventually develop into a central midfielder, or a "No. 6," which makes a lot of sense, and reduces the connection to Rooney further.

Matt Dunham/Associated Press

As explosive and devastating as Barkley can be in the final third, his end product is still sporadic. His statistics last season show he's rarely a consistent supplier of chances (with no assists) and he is very regularly dispossessed.

The few times he has played in a deeper role for Everton, he has had more time to look up and find a man, utilising his considerable passing range, or dissect a defence with his natural vision.

While these are not as eye-catching as his more explosive qualities, they are just as vital and far more reliable. In the long term, this is where he will influence more games for club and country.

Aside from positional differences, comparing a prospect to someone with such a distinguished career is obviously needless pressure to place on any youngster.

It immediately raises expectations and can lead decent careers to feel woefully inadequate. It's the same issue England's cricketers had replacing Sir Ian Botham, labelling any all-rounder with a trace of potential as the next Botham.

For England's football team, that seems destined to be the case with Rooney, but specifically for any player with those raw qualities he initially emerged with. Should that player come from Everton, then those comparisons will be knee-jerk.

Toffee fans will hope Barkley's new contract signed this summer will give another reason for fans to disassociate his career from Rooney's, and that he remains at Goodison Park for a much larger portion of his career.

Everton are at least a far better attraction now that they were to Rooney when regularly embroiled in relegation scraps, but Barkley does seem a player destined for the very top of the game.

It may appear the most logical connection right now, but as Barkley progresses and his role develops, expect those similarities with Rooney to fade.

Statistics via WhoScored.com.

Follow @Matt_Cheetham