Neville backs Everton for Europe

Phil Neville believes that if Everton can avoid injuries then they have the ability to push for the European places this season.

David Moyes’ men have shaken off their tag of slow starters this Premier League campaign by recording a maximum six points from their first two games, including a win against Manchester United in their opening fixture.

Their start has left many suggesting they can secure a place in the Europa League this term, with the 35-year-old agreeing it is a possibility as long as the squad stays healthy.

“If we can keep everyone fit, we can be challenging for European football,” Neville said.

A first win at Villa Park in seven years maintained the Toffees’ impeccable start, with Marouane Fellaini and Steven Pienaar, in particular, impressing. The latter opened the scoring just three minutes in with the Belgian adding a second after half an hour.

Nikica Jelavic made it three just before half-time, and although the Merseyside outfit had to fight off a potential late comeback when Karim El Ahmadi made it 3-1 with 15 minutes to go, they held on for their second win of the season.

The Everton captain admitted that things became tense when the Villans pulled one back, however he indicated their own display over the Red Devils the week before gave them confidence to see out the game.

“The early goal really knocked Villa,” he said. “They wanted to impress under the new manager at home and we knew that.

“You could sense the nervousness crept in and we knew from last year that we could control the game.

“Last year here you could sense the anxiety. We knew they were going to give it a go but after our result over Manchester United, we knew it was all about us.”