“But I could see the work he was doing on and off the pitch, his preparations for games. Every time he prepares as if it was a cup final and that says a lot about the man.

“But as well as that he wasn’t prepared to let any players slack, he would let them know about it. And you can see that from the club he comes from, that is the way they do it and he is very good at it.”

Moyes added: “He has taken the team to extraordinary heights with his leadership on the field and off it.”

Although brother Gary has been surprisingly recalled by Fabio Capello for England’s forthcoming World Cup qualifiers against Kazakhstan and Andorra, Neville has once again been overlooked.

And Moyes, whose team will travel to their Hertfordshire hotel base on Thursday, said: “I have been too concerned with ourselves to really worry about who has been picked for England. My job is to pick the Everton team, not England.

“I think Phil has got to the stage where he won’t get picked for England again. He knows that as well.”

Meanwhile, Goodison hosted the George Mahon Cup final on Sunday, with 600 people watching South Liverpool beat Lucas Sports 1-0 thanks to Paul Parle’s 79th-minute winner.