Duncan Ferguson said he has not yet spoken to Carlo Ancelotti but he will be pushing his claims for a central role in the Italian’s backroom team if and when he is appointed Everton boss.
Ferguson will remain in charge for Saturday’s Premier League clash with Arsenal but his fourth game in the hotseat looks set to be his last, with reports suggesting Ancelotti could be appointed over the next couple of days.
Asked what he knew about the situation, Ferguson said: “Just the same rumours as everybody else has heard. We’ll just have to wait and see. I haven’t spoken to anybody.”
Ferguson has been part of Everton’s first-team coaching set-up for nearly six
years, working under four different managers.
He said of Ancelotti: “Obviously the guy is an incredible manager, he’s won everything.”
Ferguson has won plaudits for his impact over the past couple of weeks, inspiring Everton to a win against Chelsea and a draw with Manchester United before a late fightback against Leicester in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday ended with a heartbreaking defeat in a penalty shoot-out.
The Scot was already a hero on the blue half of Merseyside for his two spells as a combative striker and his emotional touchline antics have left no one in any doubt how much the club means to him.
Letting Ferguson go would be a hugely unpopular move for the new manager to make, and the 47-year-old said : “Nobody knows the players better than me. I’ve been with the players for many a year and hopefully, whoever the new guy is, he uses me.”
Ferguson hopes that his brief taste of management can turn into something permanent in the future, although he is in no rush.
He said: “I’ve loved it. The adrenaline’s through the roof and of course the players have responded, which is the most pleasing thing. It’s only been a few games but it gives you confidence. I’m happy with the job I’ve done.
“(Becoming a manager) is not something I’m particularly pushing for at the moment, it could be two or three years down the line for me. But this has been a great education.
“I just want Everton to be successful. I want the new manager to come in and do a fantastic job, which I’m sure he will, and if I can be a part of that, brilliant. But I love the club, I love my job and, if I go back to being a coach, that’s fine by me.”
Ferguson cited the reaction from the fans and the atmosphere generated in Goodison Park as the highlights of the last three games.
“I think we’ve got a little bit of the club back, we’ve brought it back to the fans and we’ve all been a part of it together,” he said.
Ferguson expects Saturday’s match to be an emotional experience and hopes he can ‘go out on a high’ by pulling off another victory.
“It would mean everything for me, the club,” he said. “We’re still in a perilous position, we’re at the bottom of the league, so we need to make sure we kick on.”
Everton continue to have major injury problems, although Ferguson hopes one or two of his absentees will be fit.
Arsenal pipped Everton to the appointment of a new manager on Friday, although Mikel Arteta will not be in the dugout at Goodison as he does not officially take charge until Sunday.
Ferguson and Arteta overlapped as players at Everton and the Scot backed his former team-mate, who has been coaching under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, to be a success as a manager.
He said: “Obviously he’s had a fantastic education himself under one of the best managers, if not the best manager, in the world. I’m sure Mikel’s picked up a lot and I’m sure he’ll be very successful. He was a great player and I’m sure he’ll become a great manager.”
