Why Everton find Cardiff City's hometown hero a Premier attraction

To have played 120 games in the Championship and earned 20 international caps by the tender age of 21 is impressive.

To have added an FA Cup semi-final winner for your boyhood club to that list is the stuff dreams are made of. But for Cardiff’s Joe Ledley this is all a reality and the Premier League could well await the Welshman in the next few years - but only when the Bluebirds say so.

His stunning ninth-minute goal at Wembley may have catapulted Ledley to the world’s attention, but he is certainly no flash in the pan.

Ledley broke into the Cardiff side at the age of 17 and has been a regular every since, with 122 appearances in just four seasons. John Toshack’s policy of blooding youngsters means Ledley has 20 caps to his name, and this international experience puts him head and shoulders above many of his competitors in the Championship.