Everton once signed Davy Klaassen instead of ‘unbelievable’ Man United star
Everton face a daunting trip to Manchester United on Monday Night Football, having not won at Old Trafford since December 2013.
Bryan Oviedo’s winner secured their last victory over David Moyes in the opposite dugout, with the visitors now looking to emulate that success.
Whilst Chris Sutton has predicted Man United to beat Everton, along with many others, the Toffees can cause damage on the counterattack.
Iliman Ndiaye will thrive against Luke Shaw, while chief creator Jack Grealish can flourish on the opposite flank.
Ndiaye and Grealish hold the key to any chance of securing three points, and Everton will also be reminded about one incredible player they could have signed.
Everton scouted Bruno Fernandes before he joined Manchester United
Everton have missed out on their fair share of signings over the years, and Bruno Fernandes is arguably close to the top of that list.
Former Toffees scout David Worthington admitted in an interview with The Athletic that Fernandes was one player recommended to the board for Farhad Moshiri to sign in 2017, alongside Ballon d’Or winner Rodri and Tottenham wing-back Pedro Porro.
Two-and-a-half years later, and it was Man United who secured the Portuguese maestro’s signature, joining in a deal worth a reported £47million from Sporting CP.
While Fernandes has since become a modern-day Old Trafford legend, Everton are reminded of how they spent that money in 2017 instead.
Everton money spent in 2017 summer transfer window
- Sandro Ramirez from Malaga (£5.2m)
- Henry Onyekuru from KAS Eupen (£7m)
- Nikolas Vlasic from Hajduk Split (£10m)
- Theo Walcott from Arsenal (£20m)
- Davy Klaassen from Ajax (£23m)
- Cenk Tosun from Besiktas (£27m)
- Michael Keane from Burnley (£30m)
- Jordan Pickford from Sunderland (£30m)
- Gylfi Sigurdsson from Swansea City (£45m)
Everton paid £23m to snap up Davy Klaassen from Ajax, and he flopped on Merseyside after assisting just once in 16 appearances before leaving for Werder Bremen in 2018.
Meanwhile, a whopping £45m was spent on Swansea City playmaker Gylfi Sigurdsson, which proved to be another example of how the Toffees wasted money in the Moshiri era.
Fernandes has haunted Everton
It’s crazy to think the ‘unbelievable’ Fernandes could have joined the Toffees in 2017, but they chose to splash almost £200m on players who mostly flopped.
The 31-year-old has also made them pay for that transfer blunder with an impressive record against Everton in the past five years.
| Bruno Fernandes record vs Everton |
| 13 appearances |
| 6 goals |
| 5 assists |
Fernandes has 11 goal involvements in 13 meetings with Everton, and any chance of them beating the Red Devils will hinge on shutting down their midfield maestro.
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