FORMER Clarets and England midfielder Martin Dobson has told Jay Rodriguez the world is his oyster, after the striker became only the third Burnley player to feature for the England Under 21s.

The 21-year-old Burnley-born forward came off the bench for the last half hour of yesterday’s friendly in Italy, which they lost 1-0 to a late penalty.

Dobson has described Rodriguez’s first cap as another significant step in his progression from the Clarets youth set-up, which he joined as a 10-year-old.

And he is confident that the former Barrowford Celtic player will not run the risk of getting carried away with his new international status.

“He’s such a great lad for keeping his feet on the ground,” said Dobson, the Clarets’ director of youth development.

“I’m sure he will be thrilled with this recognition, but he will realise himself that he has got to come back and focus on the league.

“Of course you will celebrate it with your friends and family, but once you start taking adulation you get away from the basic stuff, like coming in and getting your training kit on and going out to do it all again.

“But we are all thrilled from the youth department.

“He’s progressed ever since he came to the club with the coaching he received at youth level.

“His development has been superb.

“His touch is terrific and his movement, he’s applying himself and is well respected in the group.”

But Dobson admitted that an England Under 21 call-up would have been beyond Rodriguez’s expectations at the start of the season, after he spent a year in the shadows during Burnley’s Premier League campaign.

“He was playing in the reserves in a 6-0 win (against Oldham Athletic) and we were all wondering when he would get a chance,” said the former versatile midfielder.

“Competition came as well with additions to the first-team squad.

“People might have thought it was going to be more and more difficult for him to make an impact, but he’s had a real good crack at it and, since coming off the bench to score the winner against Preston, he’s never looked back.

“People may have thought he should have been given more opportunities earlier on, but his development, to me, has been perfect.

“He was introduced by Owen Coyle in the cup games, getting on as a substitute and making an impact.

“They were super games for him to be involved in. But he has been patient as well, which shows a lot about his character.”

Now, Rishton-born Dobson, who was capped five times by England – earning four while at Turf Moor – believes Rodriguez will inspire a new generation of Burnley-born footballers, after labelling him a ‘role model’.

“He is a local lad who has supported the club and is now playing at the top level – I think all the kids in all the junior schools will want to be like Jay,” said Dobson.

“They’ll want to get that white shirt on now too. It’s a hard act to follow, but it gives everyone that incentive.”

And Dobson admitted they were already starting to see a knock-on effect of Rodriguez’s progression.

“We are stronger on the centre of excellence, and we feel the production line is growing,” he said.

“After a season in the Premier League, in a global market, Jay’s involvement with the Under 21s puts us on the map again.

"And he’s a role model for everyone else in the town.”