Former Everton winger Pat Nevin talks his old club’s start to the season and the magic being worked by manager David Moyes

There is a growing sense of optimism among Evertonians that a new era for the club can be characterised by battling it out in the top half of the table after years of scrapping near the bottom amid huge managerial upheaval.

Moyes has admitted he cannot envisage remaining in charge of the Blues as long in his second stint as he did in his first.

But just what can the Scot achieve? His countryman, and former Everton winger, Pat Nevin, has given his opinion.

“One thing to remember is to look at how Everton did last season after David Moyes came in,” said Nevin. “If you took a league table from the day Moyes came in, you’d be staggered where Everton would have finished.

“He’s done an amazing job since coming back to the club. They were looking like relegation fodder, and they ended up cruising to safety.

“I’ll hold my hand up and admit I’m biased. I think Moyes is a brilliant manager, and he just so happens to be a mate.

“But I’ve never changed my attitude towards him, even when he was being slated from his Manchester United days; he is a top manager who gets the best out of what he’s got, which is all you can possibly do.

“However, this isn’t very David Moyes the way Everton are playing. This is the David Moyes that he’s always wanted to be.

“He’s achieved everything else, he knows he can be a pragmatic manager, and he might have thought: ‘I’m going for it’.

“Instead of Everton bringing in more defenders or a defensive-minded midfielder, he’s gone in for the likes of Tyler Dibling and Jack Grealish.

“(Kiernan) Dewsbury-Hall you can throw into the mix, and with Iliman Ndiaye playing week in, week out. Everton have a lot of creativity in that area.

“That’s the kind of player I love watching, and I know the Everton fans will enjoy watching this style of football. But boring old football people know you’ve got to do the other side of the game as well.”

Minus the injured Jarrad Branthwaite, and with fresh concerns now emerging over the fitness of Vitalii Mykolenko, the Blues have not looked as strong defensively so far this season, despite the positive results.

Both the goals they conceded at Wolves were down to players switching off while individual errors could and should have cost them against Brighton, who also missed a penalty.

And, while Moyes significantly boosted his squad in the summer after a raft of departures, Nevin believes one type of profile is still missing.

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“Jarred Branthwaite needs to come back quickly because Everton badly misses him, and I’m not sure the powers there in central midfield,” the former Scotland international told Betway.

“Beto is looking alright, he works hard for the team, but he’ll never be a 30-goal-a-season striker.

“There’s probably a problem at full-back as well. If Vitalii Mykolenko is injured, then there’s mixing and matching. They’ve brought in Adam Aznou, but he looks raw and too young right now. The Premier League eats up players who aren’t ready for this league.

“They’ve got a lot of physicality at the back with the central defenders, and Beto isn’t small either. So, put it all together, he’s got creativity in the attacking third of the pitch, and physicality at the back.

“And that physicality works for attacking set pieces, so there are lots of bits to the jigsaw. I’m pretty excited about it. I went down to the first game at the new stadium, and it was magic.

“Although the score line could have been 5-2 to Brighton with the chances they missed, it was a big result for Everton to make a good start in their new home ground.

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“It gave the players such a lift on the day, and I think the Everton fans will have to play a huge part in that this season because the players will need it at times.

“Looking at the summer business, they’ve done really well and brought in some very good players. Dewsbury-Hall is a fabulous player. Dibling has the potential to be an England regular, and then you have Grealish, who is a match-winner.

“That’s without mentioning Charly Alcaraz as well, but I hope that Everton addresses centre-midfield eventually, whether it be in January or next summer.