David Moyes was full of praise for Jack Rodwell following his return to action over the festive period, but the Sunderland manager was quick to demand more from the midfielder.
Rodwell burst onto the scene with Everton as a teenager and soon propelled himself to England acclaim under the guidance of Moyes, with a big-money move to Manchester City coming to fruition in 2012.
Four years later the midfielder was reunited with his former mentor when Moyes arrived on Wearside to take charge of the Black Cats ahead of the 2016-17 season.
And Moyes believes Rodwell has the attributes to become a ‘very good’ player.
“I thought Jack played well, especially in the first half,” said the Scot.
“He’s now got to find a way of getting through that last 15-20 minutes when he’s treading a bit of water, but overall I thought he did well.”
He continued: “Be more aggressive and make sure you’re on the ball [has been my message to Jack since I came to the club].
“He needs to switch the play and pass it, but a lot of the time he has to be aggressive in his play and it can’t just be that part of the game.
“Jack has the attributes to be a very good player and he’s had them for a long, long time, and in the last couple of games he’s started to show it.”