Sean Dyche could avoid Everton sack as Wayne Rooney agrees long-term contract with Birmingham City

The last few weeks have seen Everton get their season up and running after a difficult start to the campaign saw pressure begin to mount on Sean Dyche.

In the lead-up to the October international break, the Toffees won three of their last four matches, finally breaking their Premier League winless run as well as picking up their first three points at Goodison Park this season, all while reaching the Carabao Cup fourth-round.

Everton's upturn in form has seen the calls for Dyche's sacking die down slightly, but it wasn't too long ago that the Blues were reportedly already eyeing up replacements with some suggesting that the Toffees would be "front of the queue" to appoint Wayne Rooney if he left D.C United [Dean Jones, 22 September].

Instead, the former Manchester United and England forward has taken over the reins at St Andrew's returning to English football with Birmingham City in the Championship after Blues opted to sack John Eustace despite sitting sixth in the league.

Rooney has signed a lengthy three-and-a-half-year deal with Birmingham and the considerable size of his contract could well end any immediate suggestions that Everton would quickly move to appoint their former striker if Dyche once again comes under pressure.

If Dyche were to be sacked immediately, Rooney is unlikely to immediately jump ship to join the Toffees and given Farhad Moshiri's reluctance to invest any further into the Goodison Park club while he attempts to complete a sale, Everton won't be fronting up a hefty compensation package for the former Derby boss.

However, if 777 Partners are to complete their acquisition of Moshiri's 94.1 per cent stake in the Toffees, then maybe they would view it as a power move to go and buy out the contract of the former England record goal scorer.

Josh Wander, co-founder of 777 Partners, has written in an open letter to fans that there won't be a magic wand to solve the issues at Goodison and given the investment required to complete construction of the Bramley Moore-Dock stadium an immediate move for Rooney looks to be off the cards.

That could well serve as a boost for Dyche as there have been very few alternative suggestions of who would be suitable to take over at Everton should relegation fears emerge once again. With Rooney no longer an option, the former Burnley boss should be trusted to lead the Toffees to safety once again.

Having escaped Premier League relegation on several occasions with Burnley and even Everton last season, Dyche is much better equipped to manage the Blues than the former United star who only has a win rate of 27.3 per cent as a manager.

In other Everton news, Kalvin Phillips could join the Toffees if 777 Partners complete their takeover