Everton boss Frank Lampard says Alex Iwobi's application has helped him reach career best form this season.

Lampard said the former Arsenal man quickly earned his confidence through his work ethic and attitude in training.

Lampard said: “The other thing [was] to build the structure of a team to get the best out of him. That is a process. He is versatile so can be used in different areas when needed. He produced in all those areas during the run-in. He did really well at wing back.

"But my feeling from the early part of working with him is that he would serve us better in the middle part of the pitch. That was due to his attributes and having had a few conversations with him I knew that was where he wanted to be. It has just gone from there. It is down to him, really. You have a team around him to improve him. I think we have. And then it is Alex showing what he has got."

Lampard found a player who had confidence and commanded levels of respect from his teammates, but who struggled to translate that on the pitch.

He also told the Liverpool Echo: "It's a good sign when your team-mates have an understanding but then you have to wonder why it doesn't transfer onto the pitch to an overall feeling. That was a bit of a job, a work. Being the link to letting him understand how he performs in training and why the players respect him so much is because they know what he can do and to then deliver it on the pitch. I think he has grown into that himself."