Duncan Ferguson has quit Everton after serving on the backroom staffs of their last eight managers.
The Scot, a cult hero and an FA Cup winner as an Everton player, has said it was “an incredibly difficult” decision to leave but has gone to pursue his dream of becoming a manager in his own right and chose to move on despite Frank Lampard’s attempts to persuade him to stay.
The 50-year-old, who had two spells in caretaker charge at Goodison Park, was assistant manager to Carlo Ancelotti, Rafa Benitez and Lampard.
Ferguson, who first joined Everton in 1994, has played for or coached the club under every manager after Colin Harvey and, after retiring in 2006, returned to Goodison Park in 2012, initially to work with the academy, before being promoted to first-team duties.
He inspired a victory over Chelsea during a temporary stint at the helm after Marco Silva’s sacking but was repeatedly overlooked for the manager’s job and has reluctantly decided he had to go elsewhere.
Ferguson said: “It’s been a massive decision for me. An incredibly difficult one but I need to move on, to take that next step in my career and look for that new challenge. Being a caretaker manager has given me confidence to step into management.
“The club has been fantastic with me. It really is a caring club with some proper people in it. They’re massive Evertonians. And, of course, there’s the fans. They’ve been incredible to me since I came in ’94. We’ve got a strong bond.
“The relationship we’ve had over the years has been special. They know how much they mean to me. I’ll always love them.”
Ferguson said Lampard, whose coaching staff also includes Joe Edwards, Paul Clement and Ashley Cole, wanted him to stay.
He added: “It was difficult last season but this club is definitely heading in the right direction. It’s a fantastic club. The team is in good hands with Frank as manager. He’s been first class and he wanted me to stay on.
“I can’t speak highly enough of Frank. He’s a great man and a great young manager, I’m sure he’ll do very well for Everton.”
