Former Everton striker Yakubu believes his former club don’t currently have a big enough squad for European football next season.
The Toffees have just beaten Chelsea in the Premier League and are firmly in contention to play in a European competition next season.
Surely everyone is Moyes in now? 🤔
David Moyes.
Everton sit on 46 points, and are just three behind fifth-placed Liverpool.
David Moyes has done a sterling job so far this term.
European football has always been an objective. But few thought at the start it would actually be a realistic goal this early in The Friedkin Group’s reign.
But Everton are in the mix, and a big few weeks lie in store.
But Yakubu has expressed the concerns he has at the moment around Everton regarding their desire to play in Europe.
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Yakubu shares Everton squad size concerns
Yakubu playing for Everton.
Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images
Of course, when a club plays in Europe, it means many more fixtures than usual.
Even a standard football season is fairly demanding, but the schedule becomes extremely tough when European football is added into the equation.
For Yakubu, Everton will need to get busy in the transfer market this summer if they do secure European football, as he feels the squad isn’t currently big enough.
Hailing Moyes, he said in a video on the Clutch 9 Football YouTube channel: “He’s a good manager. He won a trophy there (West Ham). You let him go and then they struggle with relegation.
Seven games left and on 46 points – how many points do you expect Everton to finish on? 🤔
David Moyes, manager of Everton, claps fans after a 3-0 win in the Premier League match between Everton and Chelsea.
Credit: Getty Images/Jorge Horsted/News Images/NurPhoto
“They were struggling, really struggling to stay in the Premier League, then he came in and we survived. And then this season has been, very, very good.
“We just need to finish in the top half of the table and then next season we should start thinking about Europe.
“You have to get a lot of players, you know, you can’t play with 20 players in Europe. It’s going to be crazy playing on Thursday and Sunday. It’s hard in a small squad. You need a big squad, you know.
“We’ve done it before there, you know, when you need players who can come in and you need to rest some players, you know.”
Yakubu, of course, is someone who knows how it feels to play in a European competition with Everton.
The Nigerian ex-striker played 107 times for the Toffees, with six of those coming in the UEFA Cup.
David Moyes claps the Everton fans.
Photo by Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images
That competition then became what is now the Europa League. Yakubu made nine appearances in that competition, including qualifying.
Yakubu has a point regarding Everton’s squad size currently not being big enough. Especially when you factor in how many injuries Moyes has had to contend with this season.
But there would surely be no doubt that Everton recruitment officials would endeavour to expand the squad size if the Toffees did secure European football.
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