The former striker has been caretaker manager at Goodison Park before, but this time is in the frame for the permanent role
The demands of three knockout ties in eight days, including a Spanish Super Cup final in
Saudi Arabia, sparked a rare outburst this week from Carlo Ancelotti but amid anger over the “absolute nonsense” of Real Madrid’s schedule he made time for a gratefully received phone call. The recipient was Duncan Ferguson.
“Carlo phoned me when he heard the news and said to me: ‘Be yourself. You’re ready.’ That gave me a bit of confidence,” admitted Ferguson, who has been tasked with lifting Everton spirits and relegation fears as caretaker manager once again. “I worked with Carlo for a couple of seasons and he told me to go for it, to be myself: ‘You know what you’re doing and you’ve got the experience on the training ground.’ He said: ‘You’re ready.’ That gave me a bit of a boost, to be honest, hearing it from a guy like that who has done it all.”