Ronald Koeman frustrated by Jose Mourinho's top-four comment

Everton boss Ronald Koeman has asked José Mourinho to 'get realistic' after he claimed the Toffees should at least finish in the top-four having spent £140m in the transfer window.

The Toffees were simply at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon as they succumbed to a 4-0 defeat. Goals from Antonio Valencia, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Romelu Lukaku, and Anthony Martial were sufficient to guide United to yet another 4-0 victory which puts them equal on points with Manchester City at the top of the table.

Koeman's side have now lost their last four games across all competitions, and the Dutchman's frustration was evident when discussing Mourinho's comments, he said: "I read the United programme and my colleague told me about Everton spending £140m and so they need to go for the top four. If there’s anybody in this room and outside and sees this as something realistic for us, please comment. Be realistic. I’m not happy how we started the season, but please be a bit realistic about Everton. We need time, but it’s difficult in football."

The Toffees boss is undoubtedly under huge pressure to perform following the spending done over the summer, although they recouped nearly £86m from the sales of Romelu Lukaku and Gerard Deulofeu to Manchester United and Barcelona respectively. Everton earned a credible 1-1 draw away at Manchester City in the early stage of the campaign, and from there, they have not seen much success with gruelling defeats at the hands of Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United.

The Merseyside outfit were initially expected to try and break into the top six, but they are currently lying in the drop zone, four points adrift of the potential European spots. Everton have an extended home run starting from Sunderland in the League Cup on Wednesday, and they will be keen on sealing a win against their Championship counterparts.