During a gruelling international break for Everton, the club were docked ten points for breaching Financial Fair Play regulations which plunged Sean Dyche's men down from the safety of midtable to the malaise of the relegation zone.
The Toffees were desperate to get back out on the grass in front of an uproarious Goodison Park to begin their ascent up the Premier League table once more. Manchester United were the unlucky prey fed to the booming Gwladys Street End.
However, three minutes into the game, the blue sea of Everton supporters came to a deafening silence as Alejandro Garnacho produced a piece of improbable magic to give the lead to the hosts with a goal that will long outlive his bright future.
Dyche's side ultimately lost the game 3-0 but one player in particular struggled to rise to the occasion and could find himself out of the starting lineup ahead of Saturday's clash away at Nottingham Forest.
Dwight McNeil's stats vs Manchester United
Dwight McNeil was brought to Everton in 2022 when Frank Lampard was in the hot seat for £20m. Coincidentally, his former Burnley boss took over shortly after and the winger has been one of the first names on Dyche's teamsheet. Since Dyche took the reins at Goodison, McNeil has featured 30 times in all competitions, scoring five goals.
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However, all five came in the previous campaign. This season, the Englishman has struggled to contribute goals to the team, assisting just once in ten appearances in the top flight whilst playing off the left. On the opposite side of the pitch, Leeds United loanee Jack Harrison has registered three assists in three games fewer than McNeil.
At home against Man United on Sunday evening, the 24-year-old made merely one successful cross and lost possession of the ball nine times before being replaced in the second half, earning a match rating of 6/10 as per the Liverpool Echo. Overall, it was a disappointing display yet again and McNeil could find himself benched in the future, with one fringe player raring to start in his place.
Arnaut Danjuma stats this season
Arnaut Danjuma returned to English football last January with Tottenham Hotspur, having had an excellent spell with Villarreal in Spain where he was labelled a "nightmare for defenders" by Sunderland legend Kevin Phillips, but after struggling for minutes at Spurs, Danjuma moved to Everton on a season-long loan, adding much-needed depth and quality to Dyche's attacking department while collecting £52.5k-per-week for his troubles.
Unfortunately, the Dutchman hasn't fared much better for game-time on the field this term. From nine appearances, Danjuma has been in the starting eleven just 23% of the time in the league, with McNeil and Harrison keeping him out of the team.
Nevertheless, the 26-year-old has started all three of Everton's games in the EFL Cup so far, scoring one goal, matching his league tally for the season.
Danjuma was a regular in the starting lineup earlier in the campaign, playing three full games in a row against Wolves, Sheffield United and Arsenal, bagging a second-half equaliser after the interval at Bramall Lane to earn a valuable point. A 1-0 defeat at home to Arsenal in mid-September though was his last league start for the Toffees.
However, with McNeil struggling for form in recent games, Danjuma could be set for a return to the first eleven and has been outperforming his counterpart in a number of key metrics this term.
Goals
0.29
0
Expected Goals
0.43
0.14
Assists
0
0.21
Expected Assists
0.05
0.3
Key Passes
1.16
1.79
Passes To Final 1/3
0.7
0.95
Progressive Carries
3.49
2.86
Carries To Penalty Area
1.4
0.48
Successful Take-Ons
1.4
1.07
Stats via FBref
While Danjuma has not been besting McNeil's creative numbers this season, the former has proven to be more of a goal threat which is exactly what Everton need right now, particularly after Saturday's showing where the side failed to score a single goal from an xG of 2.5.
With Harrison providing assists from the right, Danjuma could act as more of a goalscoring winger on the opposite side which could add a nice balance to Dyche's attack ahead of a crucial game away at Nottingham Forest this weekend.