Neville: the best Everton squad since I joined

EVERTON captain Phil Neville believes the current squad is the best assembled in his five seasons at Goodison Park and that is why he is convinced they have as good a chance as any of winning the Europa League.

Everton hold a 2-1 advantage going into the second leg of the round of 32 against Sporting Lisbon tonight and even though they are missing a number of key players, Neville was in bullish mood ahead of the match.

He said: “When I signed we had just qualified for the Champions League and brought in four or five players before deadline. We didn’t have the experience to cope with Europe.