The Denmark international came off the bench late in Everton’s 2-0 defeat by Chelsea, but the brief appearance exposed how much work remains before he is ready to contribute regularly.
Nørgaard joined Everton from Arsenal during the summer transfer window, but an injury disrupted his preparations and delayed his first competitive appearance for the club. Without a full pre-season, he has been working to rebuild his fitness through training.
Moyes said he had considered starting the midfielder against Chelsea, but was relieved that he instead introduced him late in the game.
“I was actually considering starting him last week, and I’m glad I didn’t,” the Everton manager said at his press conference.
“I had seen things in training that made me think he was getting close to being ready, but perhaps things just went wrong.”
The manager explained that Nørgaard was further away from full fitness than the club had anticipated when he entered the match. Everton had expected him to need more time before reaching his best level, potentially until after the next international break.
“When we put him on, we realised he was further from being ready than we had hoped,” Moyes said.
“But we also expected that. We didn’t think he would be fully firing until probably after the next international break, because he’s had no real pre-season with us.”
The midfielder himself recognised the situation. Moyes said Nørgaard approached him after the match to apologise, acknowledging that he was not yet as ready as either had expected.
“Christian was the first one to come to me and say he was sorry about it and he’s realised he’s probably a bit further away,” Moyes said.
Nørgaard’s lack of match fitness is understandable given his interrupted preparation, but the debut has influenced how Moyes intends to manage his return. The manager admitted that the performance had affected his immediate plans, suggesting the midfielder would need more time before being considered for a larger role.
Despite the setback, Moyes praised Nørgaard’s attitude behind the scenes and indicated that his training work remained positive.
“He’s training great, he’s a brilliant character behind the scenes for the players, so we’re just hoping to get him back into full condition,” he said.
The 32-year-old’s priority is now to build the fitness and sharpness required for Premier League football. Everton will need to balance giving him minutes with avoiding the risk of demanding too much too soon.
His debut did not go as planned, but Moyes’ comments suggest the club are treating it as part of a longer return to fitness rather than a verdict on the midfielder’s ability. With a disrupted pre-season behind him, Nørgaard will need time and carefully managed opportunities to establish himself at Everton.