Thomas Hitzlsperger joined Everton on a free transfer in September 2012.

The former German international arrived at Goodison Park following a season at Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga.

The left-footed central midfielder also had two stints in England with Aston Villa and West Ham.

He joined Villa in 2000 after being a part of Bayern Munich's youth programme and forced his way into the first-team reckoning, earning a reputation as a fierce striker of the ball in the process.

After his contract at Villa Park expired in 2005, he moved back to his homeland to begin a five-year spell at Stuttgart, winning the Bundesliga in 2008.

By this point Hitzlsperger had become a Germany international and he went on to gain 52 caps, scoring six goals. He was part of the German squads that finished as runners-up in the 2008 European Championships and third in the 2006 World Cup.

A brief spell at Italian outfit Lazio followed before he returned to England to play for West Ham for an injury-hit campaign in which he only made 11 appearances.

In 2011/12 he made a handful of appearances for Wolfsburg as they finished eighth in the Bundesliga.

Hitzlsperger has earned the nickname 'Der Hammer' (the Hammer) because of the powerful shot he possesses.

His first-team debut for the Toffees came as a second-half substitute in a 2-1 win over Sunderland at Goodison Park in November 2012.

In January 2013 it was confirmed that Hitzlsperger would remain with the Blues until the end of the 2012/13 campaign.