Anthony Gordon has enjoyed a good start to the new Premier League season after scoring in each of his last two appearances despite Everton's poor start to the campaign.
His performances during the back-end of last season saw him become a fan favourite at Goodison Park as The Toffees managed to maintain their status as a Premier League club after a dismal season.
Super Frank hands him the number 10 shirt
Frank Lampard has worked with a number of talented youngsters during his time at both Derby County and Chelsea who have gone on to take their careers to the next level - the likes of Mason Mount, Reece James and Tammy Abraham spring to mind. Lampard was quick to put Gordon in the same bracket.
Speaking ahead of Everton's clash against Brentford this weekend, Lampard explained - “I have been fortunate enough to work with fantastic young players in my time at Derby and Chelsea, seen them develop and become Champions League winners and worth maybe triple figures.
"Anthony is in that bracket. He is ours, an Everton boy and the crowd relate to him."
The decision to hand Gordon the number 10 shirt seems justified as a firm crowd-favourite who has been producing consistent, hardworking performances.
Analysing Gordon's stats and playing style
A hardworking attacking threat
Gordon is at his most effective when playing out-wide, and is comfortable playing on either flank. However, as a result of a host of injuries to all of Everton's recognised strikers, Gordon has been deployed in a false-nine role for most of the new campaign.
Despite lacking the necessary height to challenge for aerial duals, the youngster's dogged determination has seen him challenge the likes of Kalidou Koulibaly and Thiago Silva in the air - winning three aerial duals so far this season.
His work-rate is a key differential factor when deployed in the false-nine role as he does not give the opposition defence a minute of peace on the ball, which serves as a catalyst for his side to push further up the field and win possession back.
Consistent in front of goal
When taking aim at goal, Gordon boasts a 75% shot accuracy with 12 efforts on target out of 16 total attempts on goal. Despite the arrival of Neal Maupay from Brighton, these are the kinds of numbers Frank Lampard will expect Gordon to maintain in a front-three system that constantly rotates and interchanges positions.
Creative threat
As per totalfootballanalysis, Anthony Gordon attempts an average of average 6.09 dribbles per 90 minutes played, with a success rate of 63.5%. This ranks him as the third-highest dribble-success rate in the Premier League this season.
When he finds himself out wide, he averages 2.89 crosses per game, with a 30.77% cross accuracy. The addition of a recognised striker in Neal Maupay will offer Gordon a viable target to aim for to increase those numbers.
Defensive contributions
As mentioned previously, Gordon's determination and work-rate are key factors in determining both offensive and defensive situations for his side both on and off the ball. The youngster averages 3.92 interceptions per game and has proven to be a thorn in even the most-experienced centre backs' side.
The future looks bright
It is important to remember that Gordon is still only 21 years old, and there is no doubt his game will grow and develop in the coming years, which could see him join the ranks of the abundance of exciting talent that both the Premier League and the English National team possess.