Toffees owner will stick by Koeman

EVERTON manager Ronald Koeman has received the backing of owner Farhad Moshiri despite the majority shareholder admitting the club’s supporters deserve better. Moshiri, left, whose injection of cash funded the club’s summer transfer investment, blamed the fatigue of an early-season Europa League campaign for his team’s disastrous league form.

But yesterday, after a home defeat by Burnley on Sunday added to the pressure on the Dutchman, Moshiri gave his backing.

“We are in a bad moment – but we have played the four title contenders, three away,” he said. “Burnley was an unexpected loss. The four pre-qualifying UEFA games and two group games on Thursdays haven’t helped. There is mental and physical fatigue and seven injuries.

“These are early days and Koeman has my total support. We have great fans and they deserve better. We know the honest and objective expectations of our supporters and will not let them down.”

But Moshiri’s complaint about fatigue less than two months into a gruelling season does not augur well for the Toffees.

They spent £140 million over the summer, although Koeman recouped about £90m by selling Romelu Lukaku to Manchester United. But the loss of the Belgian’s goals has been a big factor in a poor start in which the team have scored just four league goals.