Fellaini heading for hero status

Everton v Liverpool:LUDICROUS PERMS are back in fashion in parts of Merseyside but they have nothing to do with Harry Enfield. Marouane Fellaini is the reason, and the cult following Everton's extravagantly coiffured record signing has established in six months at Goodison Park could be sealed beyond dispute against Liverpool tonight.

The €16.6 million Belgium international has proven a godsend to the street traders who converge on Goodison on match days and were left with an abundance of curly wigs when Enfield’s Scousers joke finally ran its course. Business in “Fellaini Wigs” is sure to be brisk when the Merseyside rivals meet for a third time in 17 days in the FA Cup fourth-round replay.

But hairstyles alone do not make a cult hero at Everton, particularly when the player underneath arrived amid such expectation and it is testament to Fellaini’s ability with a ball, not a brush, that his return to face Rafael Benitez’s side is viewed by many in blue as their key to reaching the fifth round.

Fellaini was suspended for the two drawn derbies at Anfield as a consequence of his 10th booking in 18 appearances for Everton, the third disappointment he has encountered against Liverpool this season. As part of a dynamic Standard Liege midfield, the 21-year-old suffered an unfortunate defeat to Liverpool in this season’s Champions League qualifiers. His initial struggle to adjust to the Premier League was then encapsulated in a poor display in Everton’s defeat in the Goodison derby last September. The midfielder fully appreciates the significance of tonight’s tie.

“I know how important this match is. This is our last chance to win something this season and to do that in my first year here would be good,” says Fellaini, through a French-speaking interpreter. “All the players are fully aware of the importance of it. Liverpool are perhaps under pressure because they are in contention for the league title, but that is counteracted by the fact it is the derby.”

Despite Benitez’s condemnation of Everton’s defensive tactics in the Anfield tie, both Fellaini and David Moyes’ team have improved dramatically since Liverpool’s last visit to Goodison. The midfielder, born to Moroccan parents but raised in Brussels, entered an Everton team low on form and confidence at the start of the season following a trying summer in the transfer market.

“It has been very easy to adapt to the club,” he says, “but it was also a question of adapting to the rhythm and speed of the Premier League, which is sometimes higher than that in Belgium. Then there is the force with which tackles go in, the level of engagement and the levels to which players are switched on in the game. It is very high over here.

“On a personal level there are some difficulties too. You don’t have your family here and you don’t have your friends from your early life here, so there are considerations like that. In my private life I don’t really do too much because the matches are so tough in the Premier League that it takes time to recover in between. But it is nice that the fans seem to have taken to me. I think they appreciate that I like to put everything I can into a game.”

The language barrier has been presented as an excuse for his collection of yellow cards this season.

“I have had some yellow cards which may have been a bit early but I am not denying that I have made errors too,” he states. “I was unhappy at missing the two recent games against Liverpool but now I have a chance to make amends.”

Moyes strengthened his squad with loans and free agents last summer before spending his entire transfer budget on one young foreign import on deadline day.

“I feel comfortable at the club, they have shown a lot of trust in me and are giving me the opportunity to do the best I can,” said the 21-year-old.

“I hope I have a long future here with Everton, it is a daily task to improve. It is not easy and it does require a certain application from me. But I am getting better and getting better connected at the club itself. Long may it continue.”

But one burning question must be addressed. Marouane, what is going on with that hair?

“It is a laugh,” he says. “I am glad people are interested in me. There is nothing more I can say about the hair but if it makes people happy that’s good. The most important thing is what I do for Everton. It is about winning as many matches as possible.”