Some 22-and-a-half years on from when he made Joseph Yobo his maiden signing as Everton manager first time around, Charly Alcaraz has said his goodbyes to Flamengo with the Rio de Janeiro outfit announcing his loan departure to Goodison Park. While another exotic recruit might be the Scot’s solution to losing Orel Mangala in midfield, he was given a reminder here that he has a Birkenhead-born option already at his disposal.

In his pre-match press conference ahead of the Leicester City fixture on Friday, the Blues boss spoke of how PSR restrictions were still hampering his efforts to try and bring in the kind of targets he wanted and how he was jealous of some of his big-spending Premier League rivals who continue to splash the cash without fear of recriminations.

Under current director of football Kevin Thelwell, Everton have made a trading profit in the transfer market but while Goodison Park chiefs have often had to work with one hand tied behind their backs in recent years, when fit, James Garner has looked one of the most-astute signings.

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The Blues’ dilemma as they headed towards the transfer deadline of the winter window was whether they needed to make recruits for the short-term, knowing better options might lie ahead in a major rebuild this summer, in order to make sure they make it safely into the new stadium with their Premier League status intact. In fact, the appointment of Moyes looks like the best investment The Friedkin Group could have made as he gets the best out of lots of players within the squad, but on this occasion it was Garner who caught the eye.

Coming on as a second half substitute against Brighton & Hove Albion seven days ago before Mangala’s injury for what was his first outing since the goalless draw with Newcastle United in October, some feared that this game might have come too soon for the 23-year-old. However, Garner was a tiger in the centre of the park for the hosts and showed that he’ll take some displacing as he played through a measured ball for Beto’s second goal that any South American superstar would have been proud of.