Since arriving at Goodison Park he has become David Moyes' number one choice ahead of Richard Wright, earned great reviews and even been linked with a return to the England squad.
He recalls his final year at Leeds in the Liverpool Echo: "It was hard to come to terms with not playing, after having played virtually every season for such a long time. Training so hard every day knowing that there was no game to look forward to was tough. With no disrespect, playing in front of 200 people at Wakefield is very different from playing in front of 40,000 in the Premiership.
"I had seven years at Leeds and I still have a lot of good friends there, but you can get stale after a while. This was a really good move for me and I have felt rejuvenated because of it. From a personal point of view, I have thoroughly enjoyed this season and it is great to be playing regularly again."