Everton manager Sean Dyche has tipped Amadou Onana to have a huge future in the sport.
The central midfielder has been of interest to top clubs in England, such as Manchester United.
While no summer move materialized, Dyche is aware that holding onto Onana for the long-term may prove challenging.
"We've flexed that since I've been at the club. They've been the mainstay, mostly, of the three in midfield. We've looked at it, flexed it, one and a two, two and a one, and a flat three at times," he told reporters.
"More often than not, they've delivered. Amadou's young, he's learning, we want him to be open-minded about the difference in three roles.
"He's certainly got the physical capabilities to go into the 10 spot and crash the box from wide areas but his history suggests he's slightly better deeper.
"I thought him and Jimmy were excellent last night, had good games at the weekend in slightly different roles and yet again, open-mindedness from two different players who are growing and maturing in the Premier League.
"It's the way the game has gone, people were remarking about it a few weeks ago," he noted, discussing the perception of Onana - who only turned 22 in August.
"But I said, 'if that player was 2 million, everyone would say he's a young player see how he goes. But put a big price on it, the demand goes up immediately.' They're young in their true understanding of the Premier League, they have a massive future in front of them.
"Him, Patto (Nathan Patterson), Jimmy amongst others still learning their way through the Premier League, it takes a while but they're learning their way through the Premier League and it takes a while to get that depth of knowledge but they're doing a very good job."