FOR Jack Rodwell, it had become a course of habit. The whistle would blow to signify a training game between the ‘old’ and ‘young’ contingents at Sunderland’s Academy of Light training ground, and Rodwell would collect his bib and head off in the direction of the youngsters.

Not anymore. When Sam Allardyce announced the teams for the latest instalment of Sunderland’s training programme earlier this week, Rodwell found he had been shuffled to the veterans. In terms of marking a shift in his career, it could hardly have been any more symbolic.

Rodwell will turn 26 in March, hardly old, but not exactly in the first flush of youth either. No longer the prodigious tearaway that burst on to the scene at Everton, or even the promising youngster with the world at his feet that made a £12m move to Manchester City, Rodwell finds himself at a crossroads that could define his career.

With David Moyes having made a conscious effort to reduce the average age of Sunderland’s squad in the last transfer window, Rodwell is now one of the senior figures in the dressing room. Having craved the opportunity to take on more responsibility throughout his career, the midfielder has now assumed a leadership role within a squad that needs direction.

If Sunderland are to flourish under Moyes this season, you suspect Rodwell will play a pivotal role in that process. He has always boasted plenty of potential – now, with his fitness seemingly no longer an issue, it is time for him to start realising it.

“It’s more responsibility to show the young lads my experience, but I have to do that,” said Rodwell, who will be making his 150th Premier League appearance when he lines up against his former employers, Everton, tonight. “I’ve been in the Premier League since I was 16 years old, nearly ten years. I feel like I’ve been around a long time.

“The day before a game we sometimes play ‘young versus old’, and it (this week) was the first time I’ve ever been in the old team.

“I’m getting a bit worried now! I’m 25 years old, I’m still relatively young, but especially in this squad I feel like I’m more of a senior player now, and that’s great. It’s good to feel that now.”

With Moyes having overhauled the squad he inherited from Sam Allardyce, there is a considerable onus on the likes of Rodwell, Jermain Defoe and Patrick van Aanholt to ensure the momentum generated at the end of last season does not completely disappear.

That is easier said than done given the level of upheaval that has been apparent in the last few months – some of it enforced by a series of injuries – and the side that starts tonight will bear little resemblance to the team that beat Everton to secure Premier League survival in the penultimate game of last season.

Of the side that lined up against the Toffees last term, only van Aanholt, Defoe, Lamine Kone and Jan Kirchhoff are likely to be involved tonight, with Moyes reliant on a crop of youngsters still feeling their way in the game.

The likes of Papy Djilobodji, Paddy McNair, Donald Love and Jason Denayer might not boast much senior experience in the Premier League, but their arrival has generated a degree of youthful energy and exuberance that has not been in evidence on Wearside for quite a while.

“The manager has made nine signings, so it might take a bit of a while for everyone to gel 100 per cent, but we know the squad now and we know it’s a good squad,” said Rodwell. “We think we can do well in this league - we just need to get the points now.

“There’s a few of the new lads I’ve not really met yet, but the lads that have come in have settled in well. Paddy and Donald know the manager, so it’s been easy for them to transition into the team. (Adnan) Januzaj speaks good English, and he’s a great player as well.

“It’ll maybe take a few weeks for everyone to get to know each other. It’s more about getting to know the players. For Papy at the back to make a good partnership (with Kone) could take a few weeks, but he’s looked strong when he’s played.”

Tonight’s game will provide a decent barometer of Sunderland’s progress, with Everton having taken an impressive seven points from their opening three matches under new boss Ronald Koeman.

Rodwell spent his formative years at Goodison Park, and the Southport-born midfielder has been impressed with his former club’s development this summer, even though they missed out on both Kone and Moussa Sissoko in the final days of the transfer window.

“I’ve been impressed with them this year,” he said. “They’ve made some signings and spent a bit of money.

“Last season they always played football, but they just look a bit more solid and ruthless now. With the football they can play, if you add that to it, they will be a threat this season.”