Next Everton manager: Ex-Man Utd boss David Moyes has already said why he might not accept Toffees offer

Former Everton manager David Moyes is being tipped for a return to Goodison Park after Sean Dyche was sacked on Thursday. The ex-Burnley boss was dismissed just hours before a third-round FA Cup clash against Peterborough United.

Dyche took charge of Everton in January 2023 and helped the club avoid relegation from the Premier League. Last season, despite two separate points deductions, he helped the Toffees maintain their Premier League status once again. The club have been unable to kick on this campaign and sit 16th in the table, just one point above Wolves and Ipswich - who occupy 17th and 18th respectively. Everton do have a game in hand, however, after the Merseyside derby was postponed last month.

Moyes linked with return to Everton

Moyes has yet to take a new management position after leaving West Ham in May and is the current frontrunner to replace Dyche. The Scotsman spent 11 years at Everton after joining the club in 2002. He guided the club to a top-four finish in 2005 before being named as Sir Alex Ferguson’s successor at Manchester United in 2013. He lasted less than a year at Old Trafford before spells with Real Sociedad and Sunderland. The Black Cats were relegated from the top flight under Moyes who resigned his position a day after the season concluded.

After a few tough spells, Moyes reinvigorated his career with two separate stints at West Ham. His second spell started in December 2019, as he took charge of 231 games until his departure in May at the expiration of his contract. He said when leaving the London Stadium: “I have enjoyed four and a half brilliant years at West Ham, and the club is in a stronger position than when I returned back in 2019. When I joined West Ham for a second time, the club was one place above the relegation zone, and it has been a terrific journey to have achieved three consecutive seasons in Europe.

“After leading the club to safety, we guided the team to finishes of 6th and 7th in the Premier League, and I was delighted when we won the Europa Conference League title last June – the club’s first major trophy in 43 years.”

Moyes addresses potential management return

The 61-year-old said recently he is not ready to retire but does not want to be taking a job where he is simply fighting relegation - in a possible hint that he might not be ready to accept a potential offer from Everton. Despite his recent comments, he is regarded as the favourite for the role and may see enough within the squad to push away from the bottom three in the coming months.

"I don't consider myself done yet, but I am certainly enjoying some time off," Moyes told BBC Sport just last month. "The one thing I won't do is put any manager under pressure personally, because I don't believe in it. I have not liked it when I have been in that position myself. We are all getting a little bit older and I have to make sure I am doing the right thing for myself.

"Football is in my blood. It has been since I was a boy. I love watching football and I have enjoyed my career. If there is another part to it, so be it. But I would only want it to be a good part. I wouldn't want to be coming in and doing something which is very difficult. I don't want to be at the bottom of the league and fighting relegation, which I have had a few times, so we will see how things go."