Everton in pre-season: when did key players return, who was the star and did we actually learn anything?

The dress rehersals are over - now it’s time for the competitive stuff to start.

Rafa Benitez’s first competitie game as Everton manager is almost upon us, with Southampton visiting Goodison Park on Saturday (3pm kick-off).

The Spaniard has oversaw the entirety of pre-season and had a chance to closely work with his squad at the club’s USM Finch Farm training base.

But ahead of the Toffees’ 2021-22 Premier League curtain-raiser, did we actually learn anything during the summer programme? We take a look.

Signings

Asmir Begovic - Bournemouth - free transfer

Demarai Gray - Bayer Leverkusen - £1.5m

Andros Townsend - Crystal Palace - free transfer

Major departures

Bernard - Sharjah - £850,000

Josh King - Watford - free transfer

Theo Walcott - Southampton - free transfer

Results

July 10: Everton 3-0 Accrington Stanley

July 17: Everton 1-0 Blackburn Rovers

July 25: Everton 1-1 Millonarios (Everton won 10-9 on penalties)

July 28: Everton 1-0 UNAM

August 7: Manchester United 4-0 Everton

When did the players who’d been on international duty return?

Everton were represented by five players at the respective Euro 2020 and the Copa America 2021 tournaments this summer.

Lucas Digne was the first to report back at Finch Farm after France crashed out of the Euros at the group stage.

Jordan Pickford, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Yerry Mina were the next to return at the start of the month.

Pickford and Calvert-Lewin helped England reach the final of the Euros, with the former playing every minute for the Three Lions.

Meanwhile, Mina’s Colombia finished third in the Copa America.

Richarlison, however, isn’t expected to be back for a short while and will miss the curtain-raiser against Southampton.

The striker played a leading role to help Brazil to the Copa America final before being beaten by Argentina.

He then jetted off to Tokyo where he inspired his country to Olympic gold, scoring five goals in six games.

What were the real key pre-season games?

Everton would have been highly disappointed Arsenal and Inter Milan both pulled out of the Florida Cup at the 11th hour.

It would have been an opportunity to face two real European heavyweights.

Instead, the Blues were forced to face Colombian side Millonarios, which they won via penalties after a 1-1 draw, before beating Mexican outfit UNAM 1-0.

Yet when the real test arrived, things couldn’t have gone much worse.

Everton ended their summer programme with an abject 4-0 defeat against Manchester United at Old Trafford last weekend.

The Blues found themselves three goals behind after just 29 minutes and it was a performance that didn’t augur well for the upcoming season.

Granted, there were some mitigating circumstances. The visitors were without a recognised striker with Richarlison absent, Calvert-Lewin sidelined with a toe injury and Moise Kean not involved.

However, the main concern was Everton’s defensive performance with arguably their strongest back four all starting.

Did we actually learn anything from pre-season?

The humbling suffered against Man Utd was a stark reminder of the gargantuan job Benitez has.

The former Valencia supremo, who’s Everton’s fifth permanent manager in as many seasons, inherits a misfit squad cobbled together by his various predecessors - some of whom are on big wages.

Now Benitez bids to impart his blueprint at Goodison, although there’s still plenty of work to be completed in the transfer window in terms of incoming and outgoing.

Players such as Kean and Fabian Delph’s futures are uncertain, while James Rodriguez has been told he isn’t part of the manager’s plans and can leave to free up funds.

Meanwhile, Everton still need another right-back to provide competition for captain Seamus Coleman and an additional striker if Kean departs.

Who was the star man?

That accolade went to academy youngster Lewis Dobbin.

The 18-year-old striker scored three hat-tricks for the under-23s against Guiseley, Warrington Rylands and Chorley before he was promoted to first-team duty against Man Utd.

Dobbin came off the bench for a debut against Old Trafford and he’ll hope to remain on Benitez’s radar.