David Moyes Faces Manchester United with Everton's Threadbare Squad

David Moyes did not bother hiding the problem. Everton are light. Very light.

A chaotic end to the transfer window stripped his squad bare, and the manager knows it. Beto, Adam Aznou, Nathan Patterson, Iliman Ndiaye and Tim Iroegbunam all left in the final days of the window, tearing depth out of almost every area of the pitch.

Two arrivals came through the door – Jack Grealish returning on loan and Ainsley Maitland-Niles signed from Lyon – but they were nowhere near enough to mask what Everton failed to do. A move for Folarin Balogun collapsed, and with it went any chance of dressing up what Moyes openly accepts was a grim conclusion to the club’s summer business.

The numbers tell the story. Everton have named just 19 senior players in their 25-man Premier League squad.

To plug the gaps, three more first-team options – Harrison Armstrong, Tyrique George and Tyler Dibling – sit on the under-21 list, ready to be dragged into the firing line if needed.

Ahead of facing Manchester United, Moyes sat down for his pre-match press conference and laid it out.

“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 exodus has left Everton relying on spirit and versatility as much as talent. There is no illusion about that inside Finch Farm. The manager’s message, though, is not one of panic. It is one of obligation.

“They’re all going to have to be able to muck in as we’ve got a real small squad now,” Moyes 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.”

So the door swings open for the players who have hovered on the fringes. Minutes that would have gone elsewhere are suddenly available. Places on the bench, and maybe in the starting XI, are up for grabs.

The backdrop is unforgiving: a long Premier League campaign, a packed schedule, and Manchester United looming as an early examination of Everton’s resilience. With only 19 senior names registered, every injury, every suspension, every dip in form will bite harder than usual.

Moyes, though, has been here before in different colours and different eras. He knows how to squeeze every drop out of a thin group. Now the question hangs over Goodison: in a season that will test depth like never before, who among Everton’s overlooked players is ready to seize the chance they have been waiting for?