David Moyes Addresses Everton's Injury Challenges and Squad Depth
David Moyes has grown used to juggling problems, but this one still grates.
The Everton manager admitted the club did not foresee such a long lay-off for one of their signings, conceding the situation has dragged on far beyond expectation.
"I don't think we expected his recovery to take this long when we signed him," Moyes said. "We are looking forward to gaining his experience, but we haven't even had him on the grass yet. It is disappointing - for us and for him - but hopefully it won't be too long."
Grealish close to first start since January
If one player has been missed for different reasons, another is on the verge of being unleashed.
Jack Grealish, Moyes insists, is built for the rhythm of real games, not the comfort of training pitches. That is why the playmaker could finally make his first start since January this weekend.
"Jack is a boy who needs football matches more than he needs training," Moyes said, clearly eager to get him back into the thick of it. "It will be incredibly exciting to have him in our starting line-up. If he gives us what he gave us at the start of last season, we will be thrilled."
Everton’s start to the campaign has been steady rather than spectacular. They are unbeaten, which brings a measure of satisfaction, but Moyes did not hide the sense that they have left points behind.
Their record so far? Decent. Not enough for a manager who always wants more.
Everton’s unbeaten run is "pleasing in some aspects", he admitted, but he "would have liked to get another win rather than a draw somewhere along the way". The standards remain high, even as he acknowledged that his players have done "a really good job".
Small squad, tight bond
The numbers tell another story. Moyes is working with a lean group, and he knows it.
He draws inspiration from Leicester City’s title-winning side, a reminder that a tight-knit core can punch above its weight.
"You only have to look at Leicester City's title-winning squad to see how their small group of players thrived," he said. "It's the amount of games which means you need the extra players, but we don't have European football this year so maybe we can find a way of getting through with what we've got."
That doesn’t mean he is content with the situation. Far from it.
Given the choice, he would have gone into the season heavier on numbers. His ideal? "21 outfield players." Reality? Just 18.
The gap between those two figures underlines why Everton are scouring the free agent market. Moyes confirmed the club are exploring options to bolster the squad, even if the search is a difficult one.
"It isn't easy to find a player who could make a difference" in the Premier League, he warned. The bar is high, the pool is small, and the margin for error is thin.
Tottenham test and a looming break
Next up is Tottenham, still hunting for their first league goal and first league win. On paper, it looks like an opportunity. Moyes knows better than to be lulled by that.
"It wasn't too long ago that we were in those situations as a club," he pointed out. "We know we can only look after ourselves. We didn't quite make it over the line there a couple of months ago, so hopefully we do it this time."
The match arrives with the international break just around the corner, a two-week stretch that always unsettles club managers. This one, Moyes believes, could be particularly awkward.
He called the upcoming pause "difficult for everybody to manage", outlining the familiar headache: some players will be overloaded, others underused, and injuries will lurk in the background.
"There will be a lot of players who will end up playing a lot more minutes than others and injuries could be a problem as well," he said. "We've got to hope that our boys do play a bit, but maybe not all of the games."
Between an injured signing yet to step onto the grass, a key creator like Grealish edging back towards the starting XI, and a stripped-back squad feeling its way through an unbeaten start, Everton stand at a delicate point in their season.
Tottenham away, a thin squad, and an international break on the horizon. This is exactly the kind of stretch that reveals how far Moyes’ side can really go.
