Everton Host Manchester United Amid Grealish Return, Maguire Scare and Fallout from Failed Zirkzee Move

The match at Hill Dickinson Stadium

On Sunday, Everton hosted Manchester United at home in a Premier League fixture that kicked off at 14:00 and was broadcast on Sky Sports Main Event (source: BBC, Yahoo Sports). Everton went into the game unbeaten so far this season, having collected four points from their opening two matches, including a 2-0 home win over Crystal Palace.

Manchester United arrived off the back of a convincing 5-2 win over Ipswich Town, in which captain Bruno Fernandes scored a hat-trick, Marcus Rashford made his first Premier League start in nearly two years, and both Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha also found the net (source: Yahoo Sports/OneFootball).

Ahead of kick-off, attention also turned to Jack Grealish's return to Everton, who joined the club on loan and was named among the substitutes for this game (source: SB Nation, OneFootball). During the match there was also a brief scare when United captain Harry Maguire went down with a possible injury, though he was able to continue (source: Yahoo Sports/OneFootball).

The Zirkzee move that fell through

In the background of the fixture is the story of deadline-day drama between the two clubs: Everton had attempted to sign United forward Joshua Zirkzee on loan, but the deal collapsed after Everton ran into problems with Folarin Balogun's medical. One source (The Peoples Person) reports the proposed loan fee was modest, around £2 million.

Looking ahead: a possible Endrick deal

With Benjamin Sesko's slow start to the season and Zirkzee's future uncertain, Manchester United could look to strengthen their attack in January. Spanish outlet Fichajes reports that United are considering an offer for Real Madrid's 20-year-old Brazilian forward Endrick — though the figures vary between sources: Sports Illustrated cites up to $81.3 million (€70 million), while Views Bangladesh puts the figure at €60-70 million. According to Fabrizio Romano, Real Madrid rejected an enquiry from Liverpool over the player during the summer, and Arsenal were also linked as potential suitors. Endrick's situation could change in January if he continues to struggle for regular playing time.

Separately, Manchester United manager Michael Carrick said he is pleased with his squad's reinforcements, despite being outspent by rivals in the transfer window — Manchester City broke the British transfer record for Enzo Fernández, while Liverpool spent up to £123 million on Bradley Barcola (source: AFP/Yahoo Sports).