The Belgian Invasion! Why the top clubs' first port of call for young talent is one tiny European country

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UPDATED:

21:45 GMT, 21 August 2012

Sir Alex Ferguson was trying to explain Manchester United's frustrating start to the season when Marouane Fellaini's name cropped up in his post-game debrief.

'He is a handful,' Ferguson remarked. 'He is a big, tall, gangly lad. Everton just lumped the ball forward to him. That's all they did. They worked from that base all the time and they got their goal, so it was justified.'

The clearest sign of how effective an opposition player has been against United is that Ferguson makes barbed comments, and the fact that he referred to Fellaini on Monday in less than sophisticated terms provided final confirmation: Everton's powerhouse had got under his skin.

Belgian Invasion: Marouane Fellani scored the winning goal for Everton against Manchester United on Monday night

And another one: Kevin Mirallas is the most recent Belgian to travel to British shores after he signed for Everton on Tuesday

Bursting with
muscular aggression and brimming with talent, Fellaini's development
into one of the Barclays Premier League's most influential midfielders
mirrors the rise of his nation's footballing prowess.

Belgians are popping up all over this country and the English top flight is all the richer for their presence.

From Vincent
Kompany, who led Manchester City with such distinction on their march to
the title last season, to Arsenal club captain Thomas Vermaelen and
Chelsea's 32million man Eden Hazard, the secret that Belgium have
produced an outstanding generation of footballers is well and truly out.
'I don't know what it is,' said Everton's Kevin Mirallas, the latest
Belgian to arrive on these shores.

'We just have
an excellent crop of players. We are all a similar age and we are all
choosing to come and play in the Premier League.

'It is good
that we are all here. We are playing together or against each other, so
that will be a positive thing for the national team.

Romelu Lukaku, on loan to West Bromwich Albion from Chelsea, scored his team's third goal against Liverpool on Saturday

Chelsea's new signing Eden Hazard had a hand in both his team's goals at Wigan on Sunday

'It is a coincidence – a happy coincidence – that so many of us are playing here at the same time.'

Belgium once had
a fine tradition – they were runners-up in the 1980 European
Championship and reached the 1986 World Cup semi-final, when they were
beaten by a Diego Maradona-inspired Argentina – but performances since
have not been quite so impressive.

Their last
appearance at the European Championship was in 2000, when they were
co-hosts with Holland, and they have not been to a World Cup since
exiting in the second round in 2002, which led to the Belgium Football
Association taking action.

A project was
started that meant national team coaches could not run sides if they did
not have coaching degrees, and the total football influence of their
neighbours Holland means Belgium's national sides all play a 4-3-3
system.

Vincent Kompany was very impressive in Manchester City's title-winning season

Thomas Vermaelen was named Arsenal's new captain following the departure of Robin van Persie

Scouts,
unsurprisingly, are now making Belgium one of their first ports of call
and already they are monitoring Dennis Praet, an 18-year-old striker
from Anderlecht, and Genk's 16-year-old forward Siebe Schrijvers.

It is no
accident, then, that Belgian talent is crossing the Channel. With the
standard of academies in Belgium leaving something to be desired, many
of the players who have broken through now left the country to aid their
development.

Hazard
flourished in France at Lille's academy, as did Mirallas; Vermaelen and
Tottenham's Jan Vertonghen developed in Holland at Ajax.

A wider
audience may have been alerted to Fellaini's talents after he bullied
United into submission on Monday but Everton regulars will tell you he
has been performing to such levels for the past year, most notably when
dominating a spectacular game at Old Trafford which ended 4-4 in April.

His statistics
from last season merely add weight to how much of an influence he has
been. No Everton player covered more distance than the 209.63 kilometres
Fellaini pounded between August and May.

No Everton player completed more passes (821) or made more tackles (87).

Coming hot on
the heels of Hazard's illuminating display against Wigan at the DW
Stadium, the old cliched dinner party question about 'name a famous
Belgian' has quickly been replaced by 'how many Belgians playing in thje
Premier League can you name'

Tottenham signed centre-back Jan Vertonghen from Ajax during the summer

Simon Mignolet,
Sunderland's goalkeeper, kept a clean sheet at the Emirates on Saturday;
Romelu Lukaku, on loan from Chelsea, scored on his West Bromwich Albion
debut against Liverpool and now the focus will be on Mirallas to see if
he can uphold the form.

Like his
compatriots, he has arrived with a fine pedigree – he was the top scorer
in Greece last season with Olympiakos and Player of the Year – and
Mirallas, 24, turned down Champions League football to link up with
Fellaini again.

'It wasn't just
Arsenal who were after me,' said Mirallas. 'There were other clubs too.
Discussions were fairly well down the line with them.

Porto were
interested and so were one or two other English clubs. 'But, after
speaking to my agent, we knew we had made the right choice.

'I was aware
that Everton had been following my progress. I'm very much a family
person, so when I make a decision, I do it with my partner and my
parents as well.

'After I spoke
with David Moyes and Marouane, we realised this is a family club. To
progress as an individual and to flourish in that family environment was
something that attracted me. I am convinced, definitely, we have made
the right choice.'