Ferguson says Everton must pursue world´s best managers and explains Kean sub

Duncan Ferguson hailed Everton’s “fantastic performance” in a 1-1 draw at Manchester United in his second game in charge, but the caretaker manager remains uninterested in taking on the job.

Victor Lindelof’s own-goal put Everton on course for a second consecutive victory under Ferguson following their 3-1 triumph over Chelsea, but Mason Greenwood came off the bench to score an equaliser for United.

Four points from two difficult fixtures reflects well on Ferguson’s ability to motivate the Toffees in the wake of Marco Silva’s sacking, but the former Everton striker again dismissed the suggestion he could assume the role on a full-time basis.

Reflecting on his players’ performance, Ferguson told Sky Sports: “It’s tremendous.

“What a fantastic performance the boys put in. They were fantastic to a man. I’m delighted because we’ve got a point. I cannot complain.

“We’ve beat a top team in Chelsea and come to Old Trafford and got a draw. This is only our sixth draw [at United] in 30 years – [we had] only won twice here and had five draws before this.

“I understand we have to go for the best managers to get to the club, the best managers in the world.”

| Same again. Only this time in shirt and tie. #MUNEVE pic.twitter.com/ViE5sXHybs

— Everton (@Everton) December 15, 2019

Ferguson brought Moise Kean on in the second half, only to haul him off again 19 minutes later, but he insisted the second substitution was not a reflection of the Italy international’s display.

“It wasn’t because of Moise Kean’s performance,” said Ferguson.

“I just needed to make a substitution to kill a bit of time. I had so many strikers on the bench. It’s nothing personal against Moise Kean.”

Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin hailed Ferguson’s influence on the team, saying: “It’s unbelievable. You see the passion he has for the club there and how much the fans love him.

“It rubs off on the players, and I think you can see that again today – to a man, we’ve worked our socks off. If you can’t win it, don’t lose it, and I think that was the main message today.”