More than 1,200 matches into his managerial career, David Moyes has a lengthier past than most. As he made his return to the place where it all began, it did not come back to bite him. It is more than 24 years since Moyes left Preston for Everton. A belated first return for a competitive game – though he has often been spotted in the crowd – brought applause from the Preston faithful before and after an Everton rout.
“I loved being back,” said Moyes. It was a happy homecoming for a man who lived in Preston long after he managed them. Deepdale was being rebuilt during his time in charge, he recalled. He is a builder of a different kind at Everton and Thierno Barry’s first hat-trick in English football may have served as a reminder of Moyes’ enduring ability to make plenty from players with certain imperfections. As Liam Delap, a forward Everton targeted last summer, instead left Chelsea for Nottingham Forest this week, Moyes is getting a return from a striker he signed in 2025. “He found it really difficult last year which it is for a lot of boys coming in from overseas and it is worse for centre-forwards,” said Moyes. But now Barry’s campaign is two games old and has yielded four goals.
