The 2018 World Cup is well underway and there are a number of nations that have impressed and players that have already made a big impact for their country in their opening group game, and surely some of them will have caught the eye of new Everton manager Marco Silva.

The Portuguese boss will be determined to strengthen his newly-inherited squad this summer following a disappointing 2017/18 campaign that ended with an eight-place finish, after the Merseyside outfit had flirted with relegation earlier in the season.

The former Watford chief will know that he has to offload a number of players before he brings new ones to Goodison Park, and his priority for new additions will surely come in defensive areas considering they looked far from convincing at times in those positions last term, as well as the fact that the likes of Phil Jagielka and Leighton Baines are getting no younger and can no longer be considered good enough to start on a regular basis.

The 40-year-old manager, who has been urged not to sign a 26-year-old target by Toffees supporters on Twitter, will already have his targets in mind, but he may well have been convinced by the displays of a number of individuals in Russia, too.

Here are three World Cup stars that Silva has surely added to his summer transfer wishlist…

With Phil Jagielka unlikely to be a regular next season and with the futures of Ashley Williams and Ramiro Funes Mori surely in doubt, Silva's priority this summer must be to bring a new centre-back to Goodison Park to partner Michael Keane.

The Portuguese boss may well have been impressed with what he saw from Switzerland's Schar on Sunday, as the Deportivo La Coruna man kept the likes of Neymar and Gabriel Jesus relatively quiet in his nation's impressive 1-1 draw with the tournament favourites in their opening group game.

The 26-year-old reportedly has a release clause of €4m (£3.5m) in his contract following the Spanish side's relegation from La Liga, and he could prove to be a bargain buy.

All Everton eyes would have been on reported left-back target Marvin Plattenhardt when he was named in Germany's starting line-up against Mexico, but it was the left-back on the opposite team that made the biggest impression.

Gallardo usually plays as a left winger in club football, but he features at left-back for his country and he was absolutely brilliant from both a defensive and an attacking point of view in the 1-0 win against the World Cup holders, making a number of clearances and interceptions as well as dribbling up the pitch when his side needed to relieve some pressure.

Having just signed for Monterrey last month bringing him to Europe certainly wouldn't be easy, but a reasonable offer may be enough to tempt the Mexican outfit and the player to accept a move to the Premier League.

According to reports in The Telegraph, Silva is ready to give Morgan Schneiderlin a second chance to impress following a disappointing 2017/18 campaign in which he was often heavily criticised by Toffees fans for his displays.

That may not go down well with the Goodison Park faithful, and perhaps the Portuguese boss may feel that Herrera could be great in the No.6 role for his side having watched him help his team pick up a brilliant 1-0 win against Germany on Sunday, shining from a defensive point of view as well as helping set his teammates on the attack, too.

Do you agree, Everton fans? Let us know below.