IT IS a compliment to describe LeeCattermole as a no-nonsense midfielder.

Every team needs one and, whenfit, there are not too many better inthe English Premier League thanthe 21-year-old, who has alreadyplayed for three clubs in his shortcareer and commanded combinedtransfer fees of nearly £10million.

It is also a measure of theimportance that Sunderland placeon him that his enforced absencethrough injury this season has beenrepeatedly referred to as a factor inhis side’s sporadic form.

What is also clear is that ifCattermole can make a swift returnto form and fitness, he should soonadd a senior international cap tohis 16 England Under-21appearances – and time is clearlyon his side.

He first impressed when startingout at Middlesbrough, working hisway up from the youth academyand into the first team.

Cattermole’s first season at Borowas a successful one, as he helpedthe club reach the FA Cup quarter-finals, and he scored his firstLeague goal in a 1-0 victory away atManchester City.

It was the following months,though, that were to prove mostmemorable, as he helpedMiddlesbrough reach the 2006UEFA Cup final against Sevilla.

Despite losing 4-0 to the Spanishside, this proved to be one of theclub’s most successful seasons ever,as they had never reached amajor European final before.

Cattermole also got thechance to become the club’syoungest-ever captain,skippering the side in a 1-0defeat away at Fulham inMay 2006.

His impressive formfor club andcountry – atUnder-21level at least– saw himlinked witha moveaway from theRiverside Stadium,but he remainedbefore joiningWigan in 2008. Hewas again amassive midfieldinfluence withthe Latics.

However, arecklessnessbegan tocreep into hisgame, as he

was sent off several times fordangerous tackling, most notablyagainst West Ham in March 2009for a lunge on Scott Parker. Despitequestion marks over Cattermole’stemperament, he has continued toproduce solid displays andfollowed former Latics boss SteveBruce to Sunderland in August.

A promising start to life with theBlack Cats, though, was halted inOctober when he sustained a kneeinjury during a 1-0 win overLiverpool that is expected to rulehim out of action for 12 weeks.

Once back, however, manyleading pundits predict Cattermolewill again come to the fore withSunderland and could representhis country at senior level.

FOOTBALLER’S STRIFE:Sunderland’s controversial 1-0success over Liverpool in October –when Darren Bent’s goal deflectedpast Pepe Reina off a beach ball –was overshadowed whenCattermole damaged medialligaments in his knee.

FOOTBALLER’S WIFE:Cattermole has so far managed toavoid the eagle eye of the media tokeep his private life exactly that.

FOOTBALLER’S DRIVE:The midfielder has been spottedleaving training at the wheel of aRange Rover Sport 4.4 V8 HSE.

ONE TO REMEMBER:Despite the heavy loss to Sevilla in

the 2006 UEFA Cup final, thejourney to PSV Eindhoven’sPhilips Stadion – where the finalwas staged – saw Cattermoleinvolved in a number of

exciting clashes against some ofEurope’s heavyweights. Most

memorable were thecomebacks against FC Baseland Steaua Bucharest,where Boro scored fourtimes in each to win both

games 4-3 on aggregate.

ONE TO FORGET:In his first full season at

Boro, the club he had beenat since the age of 10, a 4-

0 home defeat at thehands of Aston Villaproved particularly

hard to take forCattermole, who was

captured on camera intears after the final

whistle and had to beconsoled by thenteam-mate GarethSouthgate.

Gritty Cattermoleheads for the top

LEE CATTERMOLEPosition: MidfieldClub: SunderlandD.O.B: 21.03.1988

BY JOE JOHNSONSpecial Correspondent

FOOTBALLER’S LIFE

IL SATIS nisi optimum: Nothingbut the best is good enough.Everton’s club motto seems tohave particular resonance

nowadays thanks to the quality ofplayers that are rolling off theirproduction line.

Few clubs can compete with theclass of youngsters that have comethrough their much-fabled youthsystem in recent times, from LeonOsman to Wayne Rooney.

But now there is another gem inEverton’s academy crown: JackRodwell.

Nurtured at Rooney’s footballcollege, Rodwell has transcended fromball boy to the cusp of the England sidein just four years. And there is nodoubt that he is the finest talent atGoodison Park since the freckled,rough diamond Rooney came to thefore back in 2002.

Rodwell has progressed from youthteams to the reserves, and is now afully-fledged English Premier Leaguestarlet at the age of 18. But his skillbelies his tender years.

His elegant runs, economic play,and strength in both the tackle and airhave seen him likened to RioFerdinand, and linked to an early exitfrom the club – much like Rooney.

Yet manager David Moyes hasquickly quashed speculation linkinghim with a move to the likes of Chelseaand Manchester United, smartlysigning Rodwell up to an improvedfive-year deal to avoid anotherRooney-esque quandary. But Moyesneed not worry as, unlike Rooney,

Rodwell is settled at the club. And howthe youngster who was ball boy whenEverton last finished in the top fourback in 2005 has developed!

Rodwell’s record-breakingprogression through the ranks – at 16and 284 days he became the youngest-ever Toffees player to play in Europe in2007 – shows just how much Moyesand his staff trust him.

Since breaking into the first team hehas been deployed predominantly in aholding midfield role, despite startinghis career as a centre-back.

With such ability and versatility,many are tipping Fabio Capello tobook him on a flight to South Africanext summer, to help fill the voidvacated by the injury-prone OwenHargreaves in the England side.

Should he go to the World Cup, hewould link-up with the man he hasreplaced as Everton’s home-grownhero down the spine of the side;Rooney filling the creative rolebetween attack and midfield, whileRodwell breaks up opponents’advances with aplomb.

But if he shines on the internationalstage the vultures may once againswoop over Goodison Park looking topick up their newest prince, just asthey did six years ago after Euro 2004when Rooney moved to Old Trafford.

Yet Evertonians should rest assuredas Rodwell seems more personableand level-headed than Rooney.

“I just want to do the best I can,which means playing for the Englandfull side one day, and carry on playingwell for Everton,” he said.

A simple mantra from an incredibletalent.

BY SIMON PEACHSpecial Correspondent

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MAKING HIS POINT:Jack Rowell is tipped

to follow WayneRooney on to the

International stage