Marco Silva has an evocative phrase to describe what he wants and what the Everton fans demand. It is not just wins - and he fully accepts there have not been enough of those this season - but something more. “Everton has an identity,” Silva says. “Give 100 per cent. Your blood inside the pitch. That’s our obligation.”

In the past, Silva has had his own commitment questioned. Managing six clubs in eight years leads to that, and although the Portuguese left each of his previous employers under different circumstances, he accepts it is time to stay.

“It’s really important and that’s why I joined Everton,” Silva says, as we sit down to talk at Everton's training ground. “When I came here I didn’t have any doubts. The owner (Farhad Moshiri) showed me the idea, I analysed it and realised it was something I needed for my career – a project, something to build. And I think the club also needs to stick with one idea. The stability I need the club also needs.”

And the commitment is there, every day, manifest in Silva’s intense work ethic. “Being a manager is more than a job. It’s my passion. From the moment I wake up in the morning it’s my passion.”