What Does the Future Hold For Jack Rodwell?

Jack Rodwell was once hailed as England's next star midfielder. Some even called him Steven Gerrard's perfect successor. The whole country dreamed of the day when Jack Wilshere and Jack Rodwell played alongside each other in the English kit, and destroyed midfields which have conquered England's for so long. At the time, Rodwell was playing for Everton under David Moyes, who had unearthed the talent from Everton's academy. It seemed like Jack Rodwell had it all; he could tackle, he could fit into Moyes' passing game, he could press, and he could undoubtedly score some thumping goals. Fast forward a few years, and here we see Jack Rodwell signing for Sunderland, after spending 2 disastrous years at Manchester City. What went wrong in the young star's career?

Rodwell went from being a young star to an outcast

In 2012, Jack Rodwell signed for Manchester City, from Everton, where he had impressed ever since he made his debut back in 2007 while he was just 16 years old. I personally thought that Rodwell would excel during his time at the Etihad. Roberto Mancini needed someone to partner Yaya Toure in midfield, and despite also having Nigel de Jong and Javi Garcia at the club, I did think that Rodwell would start over them. I had never been so wrong.

During his two year stay at Manchester City, Rodwell only made 16 appearances. This was partly due to the amount of injuries he suffered, and partly because there were now plenty of better midfielders than him at the club. There was no place for Rodwell in the side or the bench, and the only useful thing about him was the fact that he would be counted in the Manchester City 'Homegrown' category, allowing City to cope the Financial Fair Play rules.

Now, finally Rodwell's injury plagued tenure at City has come to an end. The England international put pen to paper with Sunderland last night, and will be hoping to resurrect his career at the Stadium of Light. But will that be possible?

Jack Rodwell has signed for Sunderland

Unfortunately, it is very likely that Rodwell will never again be the player that impressed everyone during his time at Everton. He has spent too much time playing for the City Reserves and on the sidelines. There is, however, a small chance that Rodwell could be half the player he was thought to be at this age, and if Rodwell fulfills half of the potential he had, Sunderland would have made a bargain signing.

At the tender age of 23, Rodwell could well manage to turn his career around, however unlikely it may seem. But for that to happen, Gus Poyet must ensure that he gives the lad a major confidence boost, which is something he will undoubtedly need after the disastrous spell he had with Manchester City, as well as regular minutes on the pitch. With midfielder Jack Colback leaving the club, Rodwell could find himself thrown on to the pitch straight away, which he must have been missing for so long.

Gus Poyet faces a massive challenge himself. Without the needed reinforcements in the form of Ki Sung Yeung and Jack Colback in midfield, Poyet depends on Rodwell being fit otherwise his only central midfield pairing will have to be Craig Gardner and Lee Cattermole, a midfield duo who aren't exactly ideal for the Black Cats.

Sunderland will be desperately hoping that they don't get involved in the relegation dogfight again this time around, but in order to do that, they will need to bring out the best from the waning bright light of Jack Rodwell. Will Rodwell reshape his career and live up to his potential, or will he just be another name added to the list of disappointing young English talents who faded away alongside David Bentley?

Written by Mayank Tiwary. Twitter: @VanPerseing