Moyes used just 22 players in the Premier League last season. He has already used 22 in this one.

Even the youngest players in the squad appear to have gained more trust. In 2025-26, players aged 21 or under totalled 1,088 minutes for the Toffees, a figure that has already been exceeded this season (1,206).

At 19, Harrison Armstrong is the youngest regular in Everton's senior squad. In January, he had completed a six-month loan spell at Preston and Moyes considered sending him back to Deepdale for the remainder of last season before slowly integrating him into the first team.

This season, the teenager has started every Premier League match.

Winger Tyler Dibling, 20, initially struggled after a £35m move from Southampton in the summer of 2025 but was positive in getting Everton on to the front foot on against Newcastle on Thursday night.

Tyrique George joined on a permanent deal from Chelsea in the summer after spending the second half of last season on loan at Everton during which he made only one league start.

The 20-year-old has already made five this season, scoring his first goal for the club in the 2-2 draw with Manchester United in September.

George also started the EFL Cup fixture last week and won back possession for the opening goal.

Merlin Rohl broke into the team towards the end of last season and the 24-year-old midfielder, who also signed permanently in the summer following an initial loan spell, has since been trusted to fill Everton's problem position of right-back.

After missing four games because of injury, he was immediately brought back into the starting XI against Chelsea. He was then preferred to the more experienced Ainsley Maitland-Niles at right-back for matches against Arsenal and Newcastle.

When asked if Grealish would return to the squad for Monday's rematch at St James' Park, Moyes said he would not reveal any team news, though there is no doubt that experience still counts among the 63-year-old's most valuable commodities.

Defender James Tarkowksi, 33, has been a standout performer so far this season, while the form of fellow senior players such as Jordan Pickford, 32, and Dewsbury-Hall, 28 remain critical to this Everton side.

But when Everton meet Newcastle for the second time in less than a week on Monday, Grealish could again miss out.

In his absence, younger heads were good enough to win a cup tie. It would be further indication of their growing influence if they were to repeat that result in the Premier League.