Source: Liverpool_Echo
Everton boost over Phil Neville as David Moyes eyes Lucas Neill swoop
LUCAS NEILL was due to undergo a medical at Finch Farm today as Everton aimed to wrap up his signing on a free transfer.
The Australian international has been without a club since his contract with West Ham United expired in June but in now ready to answer an urgent call from David Moyes.
Though Everton’s manager has received a major boost with the news that Phil Neville does not need an operation, he is still going to be without an experienced and versatile player for the next eight weeks.
That is why he has moved swiftly to recruit Neill, who can play both as a right-back and in the centre of defence.
Neill – who was once a target for Liverpool – attracted the attentions of a number of Premier League sides and clubs from continental Europe during the summer but none could match the terms he was asking for.
However, Goodison officials have held a number of discussions with his advisors in the past couple of days and it now looks likely that the 31-year-old will become an Everton player within the next 24 hours.
Neill started his career with Millwall in 1995 – where he later played with Tim Cahill – before he moved to Blackburn Rovers in 2001.
The Australian played 188 games for Rovers and scored five times before his transfer to West Ham in 2007. In the same year he was made captain of Australia and has been capped 50 times by his country.
