Spaniard is said to be determined to keep hold of full back.
New Everton head coach Roberto Martinez has described defender Leighton Baines as a Toffees “icon” as the Spaniard attempts to keep the in-demand full back at Goodison Park this summer, reports the Daily Mirror.
The highly rated England international has been the subject of much interest from Premier League champions Manchester United of late, with the Red Devils even having a bid of £12 million for the 28-year-old rejected out of hand by the Merseysiders last week.
However, Martinez and the club are fully expecting the recently appointed United manager, and former Everton boss, David Moyes to return at some point with a new and improved offer for the left back, who the Scot actually brought to Everton from Wigan Athletic for just £6m in July 2007.
But the Spaniard is adamant that Baines, who has a contract with Everton until June 30 2015, is going nowhere this summer and that not even a bid of £20m from United will be enough to persuade him to part company with the player, who has scored 22 goals in his 246 appearances for the Toffees.
“I think Leighton is more than a player – he is an icon. He represents a lot about our football club and I am really, really excited about working with him,”
“This is a big season for him and for us as a club. When you are the left back of this football club, and the level that he has been reaching over the last few years consistently, it shows me that he is the best left-back in the country. I can’t wait to start working with him.”
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