He has just come back from an injury lay-off and has played with greater maturity and discipline than before and has been fare more effective as a result.
I wouldn't think he is anywhere near the first team at present, but he's definitely one of a talented pool of midfielders at this level that we can look forward to progressing through the ranks and hopefully eventually the first team.
I'd not seen anyone suggesting he was anywhere near the 1st team yet. What I have seen (and what I suspect you're thinking of) is that he's been massively tipped by several journalists (Henry Winter in particular) as the brghtest talent of a generation of English players.
Whether that's true remains to be seen, but recent indications are that he's starting to settle down a bit, which is good.