Bily The Man Who Kan

We get expert opinion on Diniyar Bilyaletdinov fron Andrei Kanchelskis.

Former Everton and Russia star Andrei Kanchelskis has every confidence Diniyar Bilyaletdinov will be a big hit at Goodion Park.

The left-sided midfielder made the move to Merseyside on Tuesday, signing for an undisclosed fee from Lokomotiv Moscow.

In doing so, he became the first Russian to join Everton's ranks since Kanchelskis left the Club for Fiorentina in 1996.

Having followed his career closely since he broke into the Lokomotiv team in 2004, Everton's last Russian wing wizard believes the Blues have made a shrewd acquisition. 

"I think he's a good signing," Kanchelskis said in an exclusive interview with evertonfc.com. "He was a leader for Lokomotiv and he's played many times in the national team. He's a good player and a clever player, with good skill and a good left foot. He was very popular with Lokomotiv fans."

Forging a reputation for his pace and direct running style, Bilyaletdinov has drawn favourable comparisons with Kanchelskis in his homeland.

The man who made his name at Manchester United, before joining Everton in 1995, understands that opinion. But he admits he sees 24-year-old Bilyaletdinov in a slightly different mould.

"He plays a little more inside like a midfielder," said Kanchelskis. "He is more like that than me but we'll see in time what happens. Hopefully he'll be a good player for Everton."

Despite a number of big name players exiting the English top flight this summer, Kanchelskis insists Bilyaletdinov is joining the best league in the world game .

That, he feels, can only be good for a player who has the temperament to flourish at the highest level.

"It's very good for him because he's moved to England and moved to a better championship," continued Kanchelskis. "He's moved to the best league in the world. It will be a good lesson for him and I think he will improve.

"But he will need to time to adapt and to get used to the changes because it is a new life for him in England."