Defender Leighton Baines has hailed the impact Aaron Lennon has managed to make at Goodison Park since his arrival to the club from Tottenham Hotspur in January.
After the all the doom and gloom which surrounded Everton following their embarrassing elimination from the Europa League, the Toffees have since managed to turn things around dramatically in the Premier League.
Currently on a fine four match unbeaten streak, Everton have moved up to 12th in the Premier League and strange as it may have sounded a few weeks back, Roberto Martinez’s men now stand a great chance of finishing in the top half of the table this season.
It has certainly taken a collective team effort from Everton to facilitate such a remarkable rise but it would be fair to say that much of their wonderful run can be attributed to winger Aaron Lennon.
Lennon made a poor start to life at Goodison Park since making a loan move from Tottenham Hotspur during the January transfer window but in recent times, the winger has been quite magnificent and is arguably one of the most in-form players in the division at the moment.
Lennon’s fine form has been hailed by many and his teammates are also appreciative of the winger’s contribution, with defender Leighton Baines moving on to lavish the 27-year old with praise.
Baines stated that Lennon has been the catalyst in turning Everton’s season around and pointed out that his work rate during training and matches embarrasses the rest of the team to push themselves even further.
He said, “I remember before he’d played, and I got asked about him, I said that something people don’t always give him credit for is his work-rate. You don’t always notice that until you’re with him or against him and I’ve done both. It is something I’ve always known.
“It starts to embarrass people into doing it as well. If you’re not doing it and someone, who is not only giving you loads at the top end of the field but is also coming back and doing that, it embarrasses people into doing that.
“It is infectious but it is also encouraging when you see someone who is renowned for his attacking threat working so hard, it makes the other lads want to match that. He has been infectious. His work-rate has, in some respects, been the catalyst for us to get the results. He’s got a couple of goals for us and he’s played an important part in turning our form around.”
