Former Everton captain Phil Neville has shared what he thinks the Toffees must do if Sean Dyche keeps the club in the Premier League.
Neville, who spent eight years at Goodison Park following a £3m transfer from Manchester United in 2005, has shared his belief that the club never built on Frank Lampard keeping the Blues up last season, but doing so this time will be ‘the key’.
Indeed, Lampard was appointed as Everton boss in January 2022 following the dismissal of Rafael Benitez a couple of weeks earlier, securing Premier League safety on the penultimate game of the season.
Speaking with Sky Sports News, Neville said: “The next run of games are vital. It’s really tight down the bottom.
I love that football club and I hope they stay in the Premier League, but you think about the consistency of them being down the bottom and something needs to change.
I think they’ve got the best manager in place now and he suits the values of the Everton Football Club that I played for.
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When you think about what Frank (Lampard) did last year, keeping them in the Premier League, they never really built on that. I think that’s the key.”
Everton must take heed of Neville warning to avoid third successive scrap next season
Indeed, Everton ended the 2021/22 season just four points above the relegation zone and the £60m departure of star player Richarlison was sorely felt at Goodison Park.
The situation was compounded by the persistent injuries to Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who has fortunately found both fitness and form at just the right time for Everton.
After less than a year in the job, Lampard was dismissed by the Toffees and was replaced by Sean Dyche in January 2023, though few would argue such a change in manager should have came much earlier in the season.
If Dyche does keep the Blues up, as Neville says, the club need to build or face another scrap for survival next season