It has been a season of two halves for Everton, who began the campaign with aspirations of challenging for Europe but soon found themselves looking much more likely to be battling for survival.
The Toffees lost nine and won just four of their opening 15 matches, and a 5-2 drubbing at the hands of Merseyside rivals Liverpool proved to be the final straw for the board before sacking Marco Silva.
Club legend Duncan Ferguson immediately oversaw an upturn in form and the appointment of three-time Champions League-winning manager Carlo Ancelotti was certainly a coup which has enabled them to maintain that improvement, losing only three of their next 14.
There is still work to be done with Everton sitting 12th in the table when play was stopped, but the future looks brighter now than it did at the end of last year.
Here, the Sports Mole team select who they believe has been Everton's player of the season so far.
Barney Corkhill, Editor: Richarlison
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Dominic Calvert-Lewin has been sensational since Marco Silva's departure and would certainly be a worthy recipient of this award, but that only takes half of the season into account and for me Richarlison's contribution over the course of the entire campaign has been both more consistent and more complete.
The Brazilian has scored 10 goals - including a team-high four winners - and assisted three more while often playing in a wide position, and he offers a lot more than just his record in the final third too.
Perhaps the most telling statistic is that Richarlison has made 59 tackles this season - the second-highest tally in the whole Everton squad and at least 18 more than any other forward in the entire division.
For a player whose dedication to the defensive side of the game has been questioned, that is a stat he can point to with pride as evidence that he is willing to do what is asked of him to help the team.
Matt Law, Football Editor: Dominic Calvert-Lewin
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For me, it is very difficult to look past Calvert-Lewin. The 23-year-old has scored an impressive 13 Premier League goals in 27 appearances during the 2019-20 campaign, including strikes against the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United.
The attacker's statistics across the board are impressive considering that he has won, on average, just under five aerial duels per game in the league this season, in addition to registering 2.4 shots per game.
It has been comfortably Calvert-Lewin's most productive campaign, and he has improved further since the arrival of Carlo Ancelotti.
Dan Lewis, Senior Reporter: Dominic Calvert-Lewin
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Richarlison has had another impressive season, but Dominic Calvert-Lewin has gone from strength to strength since Marco Silva's exit in early December.
The Englishman has 13 Premier League goals to his name this term, including a run of five in seven before the coronavirus-enforced shutdown.
Only Mohamed Salah has scored more goals than Calvert-Lewin since Silva's exit, in fact, which goes a long way to highlighting his importance to Everton's long-term plans of qualifying for European football.
Darren Plant, Senior Reporter: Dominic Calvert-Lewin
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This is a straight shootout between Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who have 23 goals and four assists between them this season.
However, it is Calvert-Lewin who gets my vote. The Englishman has gone from backup striker to key man in a matter of months, with 10 of his 13 strikes coming under Duncan Ferguson and Carlo Ancelotti.
His double against Chelsea in the days after Marco Silva's departure acted as the catalyst for the Toffees to make a significant move up the standings, while he scored in five of the last seven games before the coronavirus pandemic.
Ben Knapton, Reporter: Dominic Calvert-Lewin
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Dominic Calvert-Lewin has really proved his worth this season. The 23-year-old has been given a new lease of life under Carlo Ancelotti and has repaid his manager's faith in him with 13 Premier League goals this term.
The coronavirus suspension could not have come at a worse time for Calvert-Lewin, who registered five goals and one assist in his last seven league matches for the Toffees.
Furthermore, his partnership up front with Richarlison has been key in Everton's resurgence in form during the second half of the campaign. The Brazilian is a close second in the vote for me, but Calvert-Lewin's exceptional improvement gives him the edge over his teammate.
