Kevin Nolan wanted to take the pressure off Jake Evans before starting him against Peterborough

Speaking about the Leicester City loanee last week, Nolan had suggested it was too early for him to start a game, saying: “You have to be very careful with young lads in terms of when you put them in. Is now the right time? Probably not.”

But two days after those quotes, Nolan started Evans against Peterborough and the talented young forward responded with an impressive display as his direct running and quality on the ball caused problems for Posh and gave Town’s attack a different dimension.

"We’ve just been waiting for the right moment to unleash him,” explained Nolan. “We’ve had to bid our time and I felt I just had to take a bit of pressure off him, and I told him that, but he’s a great lad.

“When we play in that shape (4-2-3-1), which is something I’ve wanted to get back to, he can play in any of those three positions behind the striker. He had a few opportunities and they didn’t quite come off but we all saw enough of him and he deserved to be man of the match today.

"He’s a young lad but he’s down to earth and he’s got good values and he’s very family-oriented. That goes a long way when you’re trying to make your way in the game.

"We have to be careful with him because we want the next Jake Evans. We need to look after him so that when we send him back, he goes back a better player, and that’s what we’ve done with all of the young lads.”

Asked about comparisons with Wayne Rooney in terms of his playing style, Nolan said: "That’s exactly what we thought when we came to train with us for the first time. He doesn’t mess about and he put a few lads on their backsides and I thought ‘yes, I like that!’ but he’s a grounded kid and we’re lucky to have him.

"If he continues on his path, we will see him in the Premier League one day, I’ve got every faith in that.”