One positive on a difficult deadline day was the loan signing of Jack Grealish for a second successive season from Manchester City.

Grealish proved to be a popular addition to the Everton squad in 2025-26 before a stress fracture to his foot ended his campaign after a 1-0 win at Aston Villa in January.

While Everton's goal output was broadly the same with and without Grealish, their win percentage and points-per-game tallies were both significantly higher with the 30-year-old in the side.

Will he make an impact off the bench today?

Phil Jagielka
Former England defender on BBC Radio 5 Live

Image source, Getty Images

There’s a lot of negativity going around at the moment at Everton.

I’m not positive, but it is frustrating, obviously. We knew as a club we needed to do some business.

Upfront could be a sticky situation for Everton. I think Michael Keane will get the shout to go upfront out of anyone.

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Steve Round
Former Arsenal assistant coach speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live

The one thing with David is that he is a fighter, not a victim, and you saw that in his press conference.

I thought he was really good in his press conference, he concentrated on what he had, and not what he didn’t have.

He has to go into that dressing room and convince that team they can go and beat Manchester United, and you don’t do that by saying oh, you could have had him, and you could have had him.

The world has gone wrong. He has to do the best for his team, no matter how disappointed he is.

Everton are unbeaten this season with a win and a draw but the feeling isn't great at the Hill Dickinson Stadium after the deadline day debacle.

But now, it's over to the football and the Toffees can put transfers behind them with three points.

Here's David Moyes on their targets for the campaign: "I haven't really made huge targets but, behind the scenes, I speak to the players about what we're expecting.

"There's a lot of positivity and confidence about how we've started the season. I want to keep pressing on and keep the club going in the right direction. Our job is to challenge as near to the top end as we can."

Image source, Getty Images

Giulia Bould
BBC Merseyside reporter at Hill Dickinson Stadium

Very interesting to hear how David Moyes felt about how it was operating at the club.

It is an open secret that the Freidkin Group, who came to the club in December 2024 to buy Everton, are now looking for investment plus a full takeover.

It has certainly left a lot of questions. I feel that Moyes is sort of backs against the wall manager. This is where thrives. He likes being an underdog.

We found out this week he has never spoken to Dan Friedkin. Which I feel is interesting in itself.

Nedum Onuoha
Former Manchester City defender on BBC Radio 5 Live

Image source, Getty Images

I think that is the tricky part really, because when I think of Everton in the Premier League era I think of David Moyes.

And the way that he speaks, he speaks as if he is someone who represents that fan base, because they have been through so much together at the old stadium, at the new stadium.

There were times they were in the Champions League, Europe, so to walk away in that moment the fans I think, would understand it. I wouldn’t think it would be something he would do himself if it wasn’t good enough.

But I do wonder as well from that Friedkin Group and so on if this is just an investment opportunity for them? Because for them to flip the club that quickly, and not spend that much money, I don't get it.

The reason I say this, let's link it to WSL for a second, Michelle Kang was talking about how this is a great investment to get London City Lionesses.

As a fan of a football club is that what you want to hear and see, or do you want to hear them investing in a football club. It feels like it's two different sets of objectives, and the fact that David Moyes hasn't seen these owners, but then the owners are always seen in Roma, what type of message is that to the people with stakeholders in the club?

Harrison Armstrong is the first teenager to start each of Everton's first three games of a Premier League season since Mason Holgate in 2016-17.

David James
Former England goalkeeper on BBC Radio 5 Live

I'm not convinced with Man Utd. I just think there's an opportunity for Everton to do something.

Simon Stone
BBC Sport Chief Football News Reporter at the Hill Dickinson Stadium

The corresponding fixture last season was a largely forgettable affair on a Monday night, when Everton peppered Senne Lammens with corners and crosses late in the game trying to find an equaliser.

David Moyes insisted it was not a pre-planned move and said afterwards he didn’t like the tactic, but players had been almost encouraged to do it by the way rules had been implemented in the Premier League.

“It has been allowed to let go, whether it be blocking of goalkeepers or blocking of defenders, and you get the feeling now that referees really don’t want to get involved in any of it,” he said.

“It is nearly wrestling to an extent, which it shouldn’t be. It should never have gone to this situation.”

Hopefully, whatever the outcome, there will be no repeat today.

Image source, BBC Sport

Pat Nevin
Former Everton winger on BBC Radio 5 Live

It was a stinker. It was absolutely awful the way that [Everton] have come out of this transfer window. I’m actually shocked about it.

I think, looking and listening to David Moyes when Julia was asking him those questions, I think the rage was showing beforehand and he was right to feel that.

If you look at the recent history, fighting against relegation, it was a nightmare for the fans who were thinking they were going to go down, fines, point deductions, it was hell.

Various managers held it together, but then David Moyes, from my thinking actually got a bit of safety, built a base, and then last season, breathed.

Both sets of players have arrived at the stadium.

Everton's players are taking in the matchday programme...

Image source, Getty Images

And out on the pitch it is 1-0 to Everton's ground staff.

As Man Utd's players inspected the pitch, the sprinklers came on.

Image source, Getty Images

David Moyes
Everton manager

I am disappointed that we didn't do more business and things didn't go our way in the end.

Sometimes in football you have to live with disappointments and move on, and we will.

It wasn't anyone's fault and ultimately it happens in football as the player had a problem in his medical and that was simply it.

There are no other stories behind it. That is exactly what happened.

Simon Stone
BBC Sport Chief Football News Reporter at the Hill Dickinson Stadium

Everton fans were fuming when the transfer window closed.

Folarin Balogun snubbed them over a deadline-day move from Monaco and Manchester United refused to let Joshua Zirkzee head to Merseyside from Old Trafford.

It feels the Everton ownership have left Moyes without the tools to push for a decent top half finish and the feeling is it wouldn't take a lot for them to vent their frustration.

Moyes doesn't want it to happen.

"I must stress the importance of us all pulling together," the Scot explains in his programme notes.

"We need to be strong again and there may be occasions when we have to find a way to get through some difficult moments.

"It is something you have all done in recent seasons. Everyone has pulled together for the good of the football club and we may need to do so again."

It was quite the deadline day for Everton.

As timelines go, turbulent doesn't really do justice to the final days of Everton's transfer window.

A £40m offer for academy prospect Harrison Armstrong was accepted and then rebuffed following a fan backlash. Four players left on deadline day, including the best player, Iliman Ndiaye, with only two brought in.

A £40m deal for Monaco forward Folarin Balogun collapsed spectacularly at the 11th hour.

The net result is that Everton will play until January with only 18 senior outfield players available.

Get it whipped off, Gavin!

Simon Stone
BBC Sport Chief Football News Reporter at the Hill Dickinson Stadium

Michael Carrick has stuck with the same Manchester United that performed so well, in the second half at least, against Ipswich last week.

That is hardly a surprise, nor that Mason Mount returns to the bench after recovering from the injury he sustained against PSG in the middle of what had been to that point an excellent pre-season campaign.

Maybe it is a slight surprise Shea Lacey has been left out and Joshua Zirkzee keeps his place on the bench.

Lacey seemed to have nudged ahead of Zirkzee in the United pecking order.

However, as United turned down Everton's deadline day request to sign Zirkzee on loan, Carrick has kept faith the the Netherlands international.

Man Utd put their opening game loss at Hull behind them last week with a 5-2 victory over Ipswich at Old Trafford.

Michael Carrick has captain Bruno Fernandes to thank after his hat-trick helped secure their first three points of the season.