John has grown in Everton

John Heitinga has become a even more flexibel player, who can anywhere in defence or midfield. Many Everton fans see it as a real bargain that they could get a player like John for £6.2 million.

In Everton the Dutch international has shown that he could replace Joleon Lescott with great success, and Heitinga is simply a far better player than when he was playing in Athletico Madrid.

A great example was the game against Chelsea in February, where the Toffees won 2-1, and Heitinga simply had the strong Chelsea striker Drogba in his pocket the whole match. He is showing his great potential from The Ajax days.

Everton is now 5 points away from the Champions League Qualification, and if they finish well, the proud Liverpool club may likely be joining the best clubs in Europe next season - and this time with John Heitinga in the defence as the strong Dutchman once again will be eligible to represent Everton in International matches. (He was locked this season in The UEFA Cup as he already played for Atletico Madrid before his move.)

John by the way made his 50th appearance for the Netherlands in a friendly against Paraguay on 18 November 2009, and looks like a sure pick for the World Cup in South Africa this summer.