Phil Neville: Everton must go for top four spot

Although a repetition of that feat seems to get more difficult by the year due to the Champions League giving the top clubs the ability to attract the market's best players, Neville feels Everton have a duty to avoid resigning themselves to fifth being the best they can hope for.

Otherwise, fears raised by Newcastle manager Kevin Keegan, among others, that English football's top flight is in danger of becoming depressingly predictable, could become a reality.

"I think we owe it to everybody in the league to make sure the top four are consistently challenged," said Neville.

"Because it would be a boring league if, every year, the same four teams finish in the top four.

"We did it three years ago and finished in a Champions League position in fourth place, so that's our aim this season."

Last summer the likes of Portsmouth, Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers and Manchester City considerably strengthened their squads and were expected to rival Everton and Spurs for the UEFA Cup places.

Everton, however, managed to hold them off and with Tottenham enduring an awful start to the campaign, David Moyes's men moved up a place to fifth and secure a second successive season of European football.

Neville expects that challenge from the teams immediately below them to be as intense again, especially when the transfer market gets into full swing in July.

But Moyes is being backed to, once again, make the necessary moves that will enable Everton to dampen the ambitions of their rivals once again.

Neville added: "With the European Championships, a lot of managers are out there looking at players.

"You will see in the next couple of weeks that once teams start going out of the championships the transfer market hotting up.

"I think a lot of teams have got money out there and a lot of teams want to do better this season than what they did last.

"It's up to us to keep improving and sign a few players to make sure we're still ahead of everybody else below us."