Kevin Mirallas is blossoming under Roberto Martinezâ€
These such statements have previously been reserved for Romelu Lukaku but the plaudits are now firmly on his fellow Belgians shoulders – now the stage has been reached where mental strength is as crucial as skill, Mirallas is coming to the fore.
His new found game of digging deep might come as a surprise to some fans. When he first arrived in August 2012, Mirallas had no problem showing off his nice touches but his stomach for the fight was often questioned.
Yet Mirallas has scored in 12 Everton games and is yet to finish on the losing side with ten wins and two draws in the games he has scored in.
But the Belgians change in mentality is down to some stern words from his father, Jose, who triggered a significant shift in his sonâ€
Mirallas has not missed a Barclays Premier League game since January 21st last year and his ability to go the distance was evident to everyone in the win over Aston Villa – his sublime free-kick securing that victory.
“Before it used to be that I would play one game well, then two games not so good,†said Mirallas.
“Now I can play good consistently a lot more. I spoke with the manager and I spoke with my father. My father told me I had quality but sometimes my mentality wasnâ€
The Belgian international had the confidence to tell Leighton Baines to step aside to take the free-kick himself. He said: “We had to win; now we have one point more than Tottenham. Next game is Tottenham away and we will go there for three points. It is not finished with (us and) fourth place.â€
Martinez is full of praise for Mirallas too and says that he is developing into an incredible player. The boss has said that the Belgian has matured into one of Evertonâ€
“Earlier in the season he was a player helping the team but now he is desperate to set standards week in, week out.â€
Have your say. What do you think of Mirallasâ€