Everton Football Club has inked a deal with Sports Interactive to use the bulging Football Manager database to scout players and staff.

Over 1000 scouts compile the enormous pool of data, which amounts to around 370,000 accurate descriptions from 20,000 teams in over 50 countries worldwide.

Now, real-life Everton football manager David Moyes will sift through the continually updated data in the hope of picking out the next big signing for The Toffees.

"I am personally delighted with today's announcement as I'm a Toffees fan," said Sports Interactive captain Miles Jacobson.

"Standing on the pitch with my signing-on shirt is as close to my boyhood dream of playing at Goodison Park as I will ever get.

"We've known for a while that teams use the game to research certain players, whether to buy or to check out the opposition, but this formal recognition by a premiership team is fantastic and we are sure it will prove a fruitful one for the Everton FC," he added.

Football Manager 2009 is out now for PC and Mac. Read our review for the full lowdown.