Ex-Everton Player Discusses How Moyes' Direct Style and Strictness Boosted His Confidence at Goodison Park

Everton is thrilled to have David Moyes back at Goodison Park. Despite a tough start with a 1-0 loss to Aston Villa at home, there is optimism for the future based on the success Moyes previously achieved at the club.

Kevin Mirallas signed for Moyes during his final season at Everton in 2012/13, with the Belgian forward arriving from Olympiakos for £6m. He reveals that Moyes proved the deciding factor in wanting to join Everton, with their consistent top-half finishes convincing him to move to Merseyside.

Playing just one season under Moyes, who departed at the end of the season for Manchester United, didn't prove long enough for Mirallas, though, who wishes he could've had more time to learn under the manager.

David Moyes and Kevin Mirallas enjoyed strong relationship at Everton

"I had many offers after a fantastic second season in Athens, but Everton was the best choice," Mirallas exclusively tells FourFourTwo. "I knew a couple of players there, and when I met David Moyes, I felt the club’s ambition and mentality were a perfect fit. It’s a family club and I felt part of that from day one.

"It was fantastic [playing for Moyes], and I regret that he left after my first season. He gave me a lot of confidence. Although I played as a striker in Greece, he put me on the wing, which I initially found strange but it worked well.

"He was stricter and more direct than Roberto Martinez, but I liked that. We could argue one day and then, by the next, everything was fine."

Despite wanting to play under Moyes for longer, Everton finished fifth in Roberto Martinez's first season at Goodison Park in 2013/14. They also achieved their highest points tally in the Premier League era, with Mirallas himself scoring eight goals in the league, too.

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"We combined what David Moyes had built with Roberto Martinez’s new style, and added a few key players," Mirallas says. "Although pre-season wasn’t great in terms of results, we worked on what Roberto wanted.

"After a few draws, we beat Chelsea at home and that gave us the momentum. We had a great team, and it felt like a family."