Martinez has no guarantees over Everton future

Everton manager Roberto Martinez admitted he has been given no assurances by the club's board that he will be at Goodison Park next season.

Martinez has been the subject of disharmony from the Everton faithful, as the manager has failed to deliver a credible top-four challenge for the second consecutive Premier League season.

Their unhappiness has been further fuelled by another semi-final elimination, this time in the FA Cup against Manchester United.

Everton are amid a seven-game winless run in the Premier League and even if that ends at home against AFC Bournemouth on Saturday, Martinez said he has been given no guarantees about his future at the club.

"No, no, no. I've been given no indication whatsoever. Clearly, that's not in my hands and that's not a question I can answer," the Spaniard said when asked if he could clarify his future at the club.

But despite the club's falling stature in the league, Martinez pointed to his rejuvenation of an ageing squad as reasons to support him staying on at the club.

"When I took over as manager, there was a squad with an average age of 30. Now the average age is 26. I haven't been able to sign players with a blank cheque. It's quite clear to everyone that we had to manage our assets well and we had to sell players," he said.

"It's time for scrutiny, I accept that. I want expectations to be high. I could have said, 'We have the ninth biggest budget in the league, so if I finish ninth, I've done a great job. If I give a couple of youngsters an opportunity, I'm a genius. And don't expect anything else, because we haven't got a penny'.

"But I'm not that sort of manager, so the scrutiny is there and is right.

"The focus now is to try to regroup, to try to get through this pain."

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