Moyes: Heitinga versatility vital

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Heitinga was Moyes' last acquisition of the transfer window that closed on Tuesday night, and his versatility is hugely important for the Goodison Park chief.

"He is here to give me cover at centre-half and at right-back," said Moyes. "Johnny is comfortable in both those roles and he has also some knowledge of playing a central defensive midfield role."

Moyes always considered Joleon Lescott, who finally moved to Manchester City last month for up to £24m, vital for his ability to fill more than one role, and reckons Heitinga fits the same criteria.

"Until Phil Jagielka returns from injury we need another player who can fill in at centre-back, and I also felt we needed some more competition at right-back," added Moyes.

Lescott played in central defence and full-back for Everton, and Moyes now has a similar player in Heitinga.

"This is an important season for Johnny with the World Cup coming up and I am sure he will want to be playing regularly so that he goes to South Africa next summer," added the Scot.

"He had a difficult season last year at Atletico Madrid when he perhaps didn't do as well as he would have liked. But prior to that he was outstanding for Ajax. I felt the price for him offered excellent value compared to the prices we were being quoted for other players."

Heitinga linked up with the Dutch squad after completing his medical and the transfer documentation, and will play against Japan at the weekend. He will not be able to represent Everton in the Europa League, having already played for Atletico Madrid in the Champions League this season.

The 25-year-old said: "I am proud to sign at the people's club. It's a nice club and a club with a big history. I saw a lot of Everton games last season on TV and they have a strong team. I spoke with the manager earlier and the feelings were good. The training ground is really good. It's a typical English stadium and I love it."