It's fair to say Everton's recruitment went up a level during Carlo Ancelotti's first summer in charge. 

With the Italian overseeing big-name arrivals such as James Rodriguez and Allan, the Toffees once again look a tempting destination for players with esteemed reputations at some of Europe's biggest clubs. 

However, reports from The Sun may split opinion in regards to someone the Merseyside outfit had been eyeing. 

They claim Everton were among the clubs circling Jesse Lingard before Manchester United triggered a one-year extension clause in his contract, which was originally supposed to run out this summer. 

Indeed, the prospect of being keen on a 28-year-old midfielder frozen out of the picture at Old Trafford may not sound overly exciting for a team with the kind of ambitions Ancelotti has. 

GIVEMESPORT's Jonathan Gorrie says... 

Speaking to the Sunday Mirror recently, Ancelotti compared his job at Goodison Park to that of his at AC Milan in 2001 in that he's aiming to restore some former glories and get a club challenging again. 

Where Lingard would fit in that isn't overly clear.

After all, this is a man who went almost a whole season with scoring or assisting in the Premier League despite making over 20 appearances last time out playing in a position where Everton are reasonably well-stocked. 

Rodriguez, Richarlison, Alex Iwobi, Bernard and even Gyfli Sigurdsson can operate out wide and the likes of Andre Gomes, Allan, Fabian Delph and Abdoulaye Doucouré are amongst the central-midfield options as it is. 

With that in mind, any move for Lingard would have seemed like a waste.