Everton have raced out of the blocks firing on all cylinders so far this season.

Sometimes, change is unwelcome, but it appears that many of the new signings that arrived through the door this summer have been worthwhile investments, with the Toffees picking up two victories from a possible three in the Premier League so far.

Jack Grealish is hogging the limelight in this regard, and rightly so, as David Moyes beams from ear to ear about the attacking talent he now has at his disposal, alongside the assist king.

Why Grealish is king of Everton's new-look attack

There’s no danger that the former Aston Villa man could be hurt on the international break, with the 29-year-old far removed from Thomas Tuchel’s England plans at this moment in time.

Never say never about him donning Three Lions white again, however, if his early, scintillating form for the Toffees is anything to go by, with a stunning four assists seeing him lead the early assist charts in the Premier League.

Such has been the Englishman’s form that he’s in line to be crowned one of the division’s best players in the league over the first three gameweeks of the campaign.

It would not be a surprise if Grealish got in on the goalscoring act with a few strikes of his own, too, with Iliman Ndiaye leading the way for Moyes and Co in terms of goals, away from the number 18’s creative prowess stealing headlines.

Following on from his heroics at Goodison Park last season – where he netted nine strikes in league action – Ndiaye has taken to Everton’s new home at the Hill Dickinson Stadium like a duck to water, having actually picked up the individual accolade of scoring the first-ever goal by a Toffees player at their fresh and modern home.

He also helped secure Everton’s second victory of the season when bagging at Molineux, with the £17m spent on the ex-Sheffield United winger’s services last year continuing to reap its rewards.

Despite that, Grealish undenidably feels like their best player at the moment, but remarkably, there is another standout figure in Moyes’ camp worth even more than both Ndiaye and the Toffees loanee, who will surely be another player the Scotsman can rely on to keep up Everton’s red-hot start.

Worth more than Grealish & Ndiaye: Everton have struck gold

There will be some worries on Moyes’ end regarding the leaky nature of his defence across these promising victories.

Indeed, two goals were shipped away at Wolves last time out in league action despite their lowly early league position, with the centre-back partnership of Michael Keane and James Tarkowski perhaps a little too weathered to ride out a full season together.

This is where Jarrad Branthwaite will come to the rescue when he’s back to full fitness, having unfortunately had to sit out the start of this season so far, owing to injury concerns.

Reports suggest he should be back by the end of September, and it will be a welcome return to the first-team fold for Moyes, with the Cumbrian titan starring last campaign under the ex-West Ham United manager’s guidance when relegation worries still loomed large on Merseyside.

Games played

30

Goals scored

0

Assists

1

Touches*

51.9

Accurate passes*

32.7 (83%)

Ball recoveries*

3.1

Clearances*

6.3

Total duels won*

3.9

Clean sheets

8

Just two games back into Moyes’ second reign at the club, Branthwaite was heroically putting his body on the line during a 1-0 win away at Brighton and Hove Albion, winning a valiant four duels on the day, typical of his commanding duels won average for the entire campaign.

Hailed as “magnificent” by Alan Shearer when first making waves on Merseyside, it is incredible how quickly the 6-foot-5 warrior has become the first name on the teamsheet when fit, having originally only cost the Toffees a measly £1m to win from his local side Carlisle.

Now, off the back of being consistently imperious across 75 Premier League clashes and counting, his transfer worth has skyrocketed to a mighty £43m, according to Transfermarkt. Amazingly, Grealish is only worth around £24m as per the same source, while Ndiaye comes in at an even lower valuation of £19m.

While Moyes will undoubtedly be pleased with his side’s electric start, he will pray that this is a sign that they can compete near the top of the league all season long, rather than it being a flash-in-the-pan moment.

With Branthwaite back in the team shortly, more staunch defensive performances should be on display, with even more wins to then hopefully write home about.

He’s Everton’s best defender and a European charge could well be on the way once he returns.

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