Everton opened their pre-season campaign with a comfortable 4-0 win at Dundee on Saturday, but the performance did as much to expose a lingering squad problem as it did to raise spirits ahead of the new season.
David Moyes fielded a strong XI at Dens Park, with Beto opening the scoring in the first half — via a deflection — before half-time substitute Thierno Barry doubled the lead. Harvey Foster and Dwight McNeil added further goals as youngsters were given minutes late on.
The bigger story was at right-back, where midfielder Merlin Röhl was deployed out of position. Nathan Patterson remains away on his post-World Cup break and is expected to be sold this summer, while Jarrad Branthwaite’s recovery from injury is being managed carefully by the club’s medical staff. With no recognised cover between the two, Moyes had little choice but to improvise.
Not through lack of trying, though. Everton have been linked with Tottenham’s Djed Spence, Genoa’s Brooke Norton-Cuffy, and PSG’s Désiré Doué at various points this summer, but no deal has materialised.
The longer the position goes unresolved, the more pointed the questions will become — Röhl is a central midfielder by trade, not a makeshift full-back, and Saturday’s game was a reminder of exactly why Everton need a solution before the Premier League season starts.
Hayden Hackney, meanwhile, remains out of the matchday squad as he continues his integration into first-team training following his summer arrival.
