Unbeaten in their three league matches before the break, it looked like the corner had turned for the Merseyside club, but then all that positivity was quickly taken away when the team was deducted 10 points by the Premier League. 

This punishment was given as a result of Everton failing to meet the Premier League's Profitability and Sustainability rules, and now the team sits second bottom in the relegation zone with just four points. 

A decision such as this is likely to have a negative effect on the players and management with them already involved in what is set to be a difficult campaign to stay in England's top flight. 

However, former Everton defender Richard Dunne believes the points deduction will instead be something which will bring the club together. 

"I do think they’ll stay up whatever happens," Dunne told Betway. 

"They’ve surprised a few people this season, there were worries about whether they’ve improved their squad enough over the summer. But Sean Dyche has got them playing for each other and working really hard.

"There are maybe four or five teams in the league that you would look at and say even with the deduction, Everton will pick up more points than.

"It’s a shock and a disappointment but it will galvanise the team and the club, they’ll work their way out of it."

Everton's first Premier League game after the international break takes place on Sunday when they welcome Manchester United to what is likely to be a raucous Goodison Park.