Baines enjoying Pienaar return

The 29-year-old returned to Merseyside on loan from Tottenham on transfer deadline day and started Saturday's 1-1 draw against Wigan.

The South African was reunited with the full-back after a year apart, but the chemistry between the duo was visible for all to see.

And Baines revealed that he enjoyed having the tricky winger up ahead of him once again.

"We didn't take any time to get back into that familiar pattern because he is just a good player," Baines told the club's official website.

"I have been texting him since the day he left to see if he was coming back, not just deadline day. He makes a massive difference to us.

"When he trained for the first time on Friday, he changed training. That shows how good a player he is.

"It's his ability to take the ball in any situation, he never loses the ball and the worst case is he wins you a foul if he is struggling. He is such an intelligent player. He is probably the best player I have ever played with because he is so selfless as well."

Spark

Meanwhile, Toffees boss David Moyes claimed that the performance of Pienaar was like 'he hadn't been away' after an impressive showing at the DW Stadium.

He said: "Our best bits of play were going to go through him and I thought at times it did.

"There was a spark there. I thought Steven Pienaar was the best player.

"He looked as if he hadn't been away, he was involved in a lot of bits where we looked as if we were on the verge of making things happen.

"You could see signs right away of the things he has done in the past."