Everton go into the new phase of their season with some encouragement behind them, but the bigger issue is the size of the squad. David Moyes is working with just 17 senior outfield players, and the group becomes compromised if any one of eight players is injured or suspended.

Everton's depth problem

That is the line that should stay front and centre. The point against Manchester United was a good outcome, and Everton are ninth in the Premier League, but Joe Thomas warned that the wrong lesson would be to treat that as proof the problem has gone away. He wrote that "The worst thing anyone of influence at Everton could do right now is fool themselves into believing everything is OK after a galvanising point against Manchester United."

The warning is not about a collapse already happening. It is about how quickly the manager's options can get squeezed. Thomas said, "That danger still exists and will do until, at the very earliest, January."

Everton have shown enough early-season stability to avoid panic, but the margin is thin. A side sitting ninth can look settled on the table and still be one bad week from selection issues that force Moyes into uncomfortable choices.

January is the real pressure point

Thomas also pointed to the ownership situation around the Friedkin Group, saying: "Whether he will have that money to spend is an open question after the launch of the search by owners the Friedkin Group to find outside investment and, potentially, a sale of the club."

That leaves Everton in a familiar spot. The need is obvious, but the route to fixing it is not fully clear. Even the nearly £100m raised on deadline day does not remove the uncertainty around what can actually be spent in January.

The simple read is that Everton can enjoy the start they have made and still be undercooked in depth. Those are not contradictory facts. They can be ninth in the league and still have a squad built on a narrow base, which is why the next injury or suspension will matter so much more than a normal rotation problem.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →