First choice centre-half Distin is a doubt for the opening home game of the season after picking up the problem at Norwich, and Everton boss Roberto Martinez believes Heitinga is a strong stand-by option if the Frenchman does not recover in time.
He said: “Of course it’s hard to keep John happy. The moment you’ve got a player who is happy not playing then you really do have a problem.
“John has been fantastic with his work and the way he’s been fighting for his place. He brings something completely different to the squad and I’m glad he’s here working the way he does.
“He is vastly experienced and comes from a background which I really love, that is the Dutch way of playing. I see Johnny as somebody who can play a couple of different roles.
“He’s always a big influence, whether he’s playing games or not Johnny is a good influence on the standards daily here and our youngsters can pick up a lot from him.
“From my point of view it’s been a real joy to work with Johnny.”
Heitinga admitted in May that his future on Merseyside remained in doubt after losing his place last season, and hinted that the club could look to cash in on him.
But Martinez is grateful he has the mix of experience and youthful promise in reserve provided by Heitinga and 19-year-old John Stones – who could also be an outsider to potentially replace Distin against West Brom tomorrow.
“John Heitinga gives you a different prospect than John Stones,” he added. “John is a young man with a very bright future ahead of him but they are very different players. It will be about seeing what we need on the day and how the players train.”