The Belgian player recently agreed a new five-year deal with the Toffees and his teammate hailed the role of the influential 24-year old in the Goodison Park dressing room
Everton defender Leighton Baines has expressed his delight at team-mate Marouane Fellaini's long-term contract extension.The Belgian midfielder agreed terms on a new five-year deal recently and Baines admitted he had been worried about the prospect of one of the club's prize assets seeking a move away.
"It was massive for the club," Baines told the Liverpool Echo. "If you get to the end of the season with a year left on his deal, you don't want to get in that situation again where you lose top players for short of their true value.
"So it's important in that sense. But it's also important that he wanted to stay – because he was in a strong position to let that happen if he wanted to."
Baines was also keen to emphasise the popularity and influence of Fellaini on and off the field.
"For us players, for me, I love him to bits," he said. "He's such a nice lad, and we're over the moon that we've kept him because he's one of the really important people around the dressing room.
"It's massive for us. Massive for the club and massive for the fans. He's a folk hero and the fans have taken to him. He's a good character.
"Everyone gets on with him. He's always happy, and when you get him on the pitch he gives you everything he's got. He's massive for us.
"Not a new signing but it's as good as in a sense, because he'd be so difficult to replace."
With the temptation of the big clubs monitoring Fellaini's situation, Baines hoped the central midfielder would be rewarded for his show of loyalty.
"He's quite young, he's done really well for us and a lot of people know about him," Baines said.
"There were definitely a few clubs sniffing around him so it was a big commitment from him to show faith in us and the club.
"Hopefully somewhere along the line it can get rewarded with success."
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