“Would it be healthy for the game if other teams qualified outside the top four? Well, it would be healthy if Everton were one of them. But if I was manager at another club, I’d be thinking the same thing about them too. But the big four shouldn’t be worried about it. They should be thinking of finishing in the top three, not worrying about us breaking into it the top four.”

Moyes added: “Say it’s Tottenham who finished fourth after an unbelievable season, and then find that they’re beaten by the team that finished seventh. They’d be aggrieved by that because they would have worked so hard to finish there only to be judged on a cup competition.

“The point is, that’s what has happened in the Championship and we’ve quite embraced the thought of the play-offs. I’m quite excited by the thought of it, but I’m still saying I’m not sure if it’s right that you work the whole season and finish seventh and that might get you in the Champions League.

“Come the end of the season you’ve done everything to maybe make third and just missed out, but it’s the same argument with the Championship.

“A team who finish seventh may not get far in the Champions League, but the reason that teams do get far in the Champions League is because they’re there every season. So a team that finishes seventh may find the next year that they can finish further up if they get through.”