LIVERPOOL -- Marouane Fellaini's service to Everton "will never be forgotten", manager Roberto Martinez has said.
Manchester United midfielder Fellaini faces his former club at Goodison Park on Sunday, hoping for a better return than the one he endured last season.
The Belgium international was an unused substitute in the 2-0 defeat last April that turned out to be David Moyes' final match as United manager.
He had a poor first season at Old Trafford following his £27 million move in September 2013, but his performances -- and reputation among United fans -- have improved significantly under Louis van Gaal.
Everton boss Martinez said: "I think Marouane's past at Everton will never be forgotten. That's clear.
"As a football club, we're very much concentrating on winning the game. But I'm sure that, after the game, there will be a moment to look back at what Marouane Fellaini brought to Everton."
United had won six league games in a row before last Saturday's 1-0 defeat at Chelsea, where they performed well despite the result.
Everton's form has also improved, with the Merseysiders having taken 13 of the last 15 points available.
Martinez said: "It's a game between two teams in a good moment of form.
"Manchester United are fighting to be as high as they can in the table, and could even finish second in the league, or at least above the champions Manchester City.
"I think the track record of Louis van Gaal speaks for itself. He's someone who always gets his teams to dominate games. They are organised and use possession to very good effect."
Van Gaal's team are on course to qualify for next season's Champions League, going into the weekend's fixtures lying third.
But the poor performance of England's four clubs in this season's competition -- with none progressing beyond the round of 16 -- could see a reduction in the number of places English clubs get over the next two to three years.
UEFA uses a complex coefficient system based on each country's Champions League performance over the last five seasons to calculate the allocation of places.
The top three countries -- currently Spain, England and Germany -- get four places each, with the next three each allocated three spots.
But if England's clubs continue to underperform over the next couple of seasons, there is a possibility that they could drop out of the top three, to be replaced by Italy.
Martinez said: "I think the football authorities should look into a little bit of detail as to why English teams found it so difficult in European competitions this season -- to see if it's just a one-off, or if there's some way we can help our teams.
"We want English teams to be representing English football at the height of their powers, and to be able to compete with European sides under the same conditions.
"If we all put a lot of effort into trying to find out what's happened this season, we'll all benefit from it."