Record Signing Fellaini Ready to Get Physical for Everton's Cause

Everton's record signing, Marouane Fellaini, believes his physical style is suited to the Premier League and will justify David Moyes' desperate flight to secure his £15m transfer deadline day arrival.

Moyes travelled to Belgium to secure the 20-year-old's move from Standard Liège with the deal in the balance during the final day of the transfer window, and was rewarded with the powerful midfielder he had spent a fraught summer searching for. Despite having only one day's training with his new team-mates following international duty with Belgium, and speaking no English, Fellaini is expected to make his Everton debut away at Stoke City tomorrow.

And the midfielder, who signed a five-year contract with Everton just minutes before the deadline, admits the manager's intervention was a key factor in his move to Goodison Park. "When they told me the manager had come out to do the deal I couldn't believe it," said Fellaini at his official unveiling yesterday. "It showed how keen Everton were to go ahead. There was interest from other clubs but it was Everton who turned up, put their confidence in me and who decided to pay the money.

"One of the reasons I'm reasonably pleased to be leaving the Belgian league is because I had a reputation there of maybe getting stuck in a bit too much. Hopefully here, referees will let things go a little bit more."

The midfielder is ineligible for Everton's Uefa Cup first-round tie against his former club next week and has warned that Liège's display against Liverpool in the Champions League qualifier shows the threat that awaits Moyes' side. "If Standard could nearly shock Liverpool, then it will be the same against any other English team including Everton," he said.