Steven Naismith has revealed how he was "blown away" by Roberto Martinez a year before linking up with him at Everton.
Martinez wanted to sign the Scottish forward at Wigan Athletic in 2012, but he chose to move to Everton, where Martinez joined him a year later.
The 27-year-old appreciated the interest and has praised the Spaniard for teaching him a new way of playing at Everton.
"A day or two before I was meant to be coming to Everton I got that phone call," Naismith told The Guardian. "Roberto Martinez blew me away in the conversation.
"It was unbelievable, the way he knew everything about my past, where I was most comfortable playing, so much about my career. The way he spoke about the game was amazing.
"He has such good charisma and is such a good man-manager that you want to work for him. This season is the most I have learned football-wise in my whole career. It is a totally new way of playing football."
Everton take on Arsenal on Sunday.
Daniel Cross
