I do think vast amounts of the affection for Hatem are based on what we hoped and predicted he'd do, as opposed to what he actually did. Lovely player to watch on his day but he's overrated on here, no question, and not necessarily by Kanji either. 'Keegan would turn him into the best player in the league', and 'much more talented than Rooney' spring to mind.
I'm not pointing fingers; we all get carried away when discussing things we're passionate about, but enough's enough now.