“What’s happened at Portsmouth this season is not a surprise because we knew we would lose eight or nine players at the end of their contract, so we knew they would have to sign a lot of players to keep at the same level,” says Distin.

“I think everybody expected the situation but not for it too last that long. We expected it but I didn’t fear that it would go that bad.

“I fear for the club now. I am not going to lie, I do fear for the club because financially it is not safe and they don’t have enough players and that is one of the reasons that I left.

“I hope that things are going to get better because I had some really good times there.

“Every time the fans were behind us there and there was never any bad feeling so they deserve something better than what is happening right now.”

While retaining an obvious affinity for his former employers, Distin’s mind is now concentrated solely on Everton.

But the Frenchman accepts a shift in spending power has made a third-successive fifth-place finish more difficult for Moyes’s side.

“That is not due to Everton, that is due to Man City who have invested a lot of money,” says Distin. “That is nothing to do with Everton, they haven’t sold all their best players or have a financial problem.

“The competition will be tougher but that is good. If you want to be in the top seven or eight you will have to fight hard because, apart from the top four, there are four or five other teams who are really going to be competing.

“Everton can finish fifth again, yes. When you have players who have played together for a long time, that is a plus. It is not just about getting players in, it is about getting the right players. Everton have proved that they can do it, but we know it will be tough.”

There was rumoured interest from Liverpool at one stage, but Distin admits he would not have sought a move to Anfield if it meant being a fourth-choice centre-back.

“I am a player who likes playing and if I am to go to a club and only play 15 games a season, then that is not for me,” he says. “I need to play and to compete they have great players here and good competition.

“I think Liverpool have enough centre-backs with enough experience but I didn’t have a word with them so I can’t say much about it.”

Eyebrows have been raised in some quarters at the £5m-plus fee the normal age-conscious Moyes has spent on a 31-year-old.

But Distin says: “Yes, I am 31, but last season I played every single minute of every single game and I think in the past seven years I have missed something like 15 games. It’s not about your age, it’s about how fit you are.

“There was only a year on my contract but I accept that Portsmouth needed the money so you can understand that if they let me go there has to be compensation to get some players in.

“If you ask me, though, the fee was a bit high – or maybe they think I am a great player!”