It’s a question that must have been burning in Marco Silva’s mind ever since Paris Saint-Germain formally registered their interest in Idrissa Gueye in January. How do we replace him?



Tireless, combative and enduringly professional even after his personal disappointment in the winter window, six months later the Senegal midfielder finally has his dream move to the French capital. But the extra time afforded to Everton’s recruitment team hasn’t made the task of replacing him any easier.



Just look at Everton’s second-half performance in the Premier League opener at Crystal Palace as evidence.



If the break with Gueye was meant to herald a bold new era tactically for Silva, one in which he dispensed with last season’s preferred 4-2-3-1 in favour of something closer to the 4-3-3 he often deployed at Watford, then this was not it.



With summer signing Fabian Delph unavailable through injury, Silva simply swapped Gueye for...