David Moyes on Everton's Thin Squad: Opportunity for Fringe Players

Everton head into the Manchester United clash with a squad that looks alarmingly light on numbers, but David Moyes insists the situation will open the door for players who have barely had a look-in until now.

The club’s transfer window collapsed in the final days. Beto, Adam Aznou, Nathan Patterson, Iliman Ndiaye and Tim Iroegbunam all left late on, stripping depth from a group that was already fragile.

Jack Grealish has returned on loan and Ainsley Maitland-Niles arrived from Lyon, yet a failed move for Folarin Balogun underlined a bruising end to Everton’s summer business. The result is stark: only 19 senior players named in a 25-man Premier League squad list.

Three more – Harrison Armstrong, Tyrique George and Tyler Dibling – sit on the under-21 list, effectively part of the first-team picture whether they were ready for it or not.

Moyes, speaking before facing his former club United, did not disguise the scale of the task, but he pushed the message of collective responsibility and opportunity.

“I know what I needed and I know what it’s like to build a squad for the Premier League,” he said. “I know the numbers you need. I’ve been around long enough to know that, but some things went against us and some things could have gone better. Ultimately, we didn’t want to lose a lot of the players, but for different reasons that had to happen.”

That is the reality. The response, Moyes insists, has to be defiance.

“They’re all going to have to be able to muck in as we’ve got a real small squad now,” he continued. “It gives opportunities to some people who have not had them and sometimes in football you need to be given that chance so that you can show what you can do.

“Let’s see if some of them can do that. I have no concerns. I am sure they will be fully at-it.”

Everton now move into the heart of the season knowing there is nowhere to hide. Every injury, every suspension, every dip in form will bite harder than usual. For those on the fringes, though, this is it: the kind of opening careers can turn on.