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October 25, 2017

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Unsworth hoping for permanent Toffees job

DAVID Unsworth is keen to prove himself worthy of becoming full-time manager of English Premier League side Everton after being appointed caretaker boss following the sacking of Ronald Koeman.

The 44-year-old will be in the dugout for today’s trip to champion Chelsea in the last 16 of the League Cup.

Unsworth is a firm favorite with the fans having served the club with distinction as a player, making 350 appearances during two spells at Goodison Park. He gained kudos as a coach by guiding the Under-23 side to the EPL 2 title last season.

“I’m a very proud man sat here preparing to lead Everton out tomorrow,” he told the media at his eve of match press conference.

“It doesn’t matter how many games I have, I’ll give it everything I’ve got. I spent the afternoon with the chairman yesterday and we spoke everything Everton.

“I’ll repeat myself from last time I sat here 18 months ago (he took charge of the team’s final league game of the 2015/16 campaign after Roberto Martinez was fired), who wouldn’t want this job?

“The chairman has given me an opportunity to hopefully get a run of games where hopefully performance levels go up.

“From that, performances will dictate any future for me as Everton manager. I want to manage and this is an amazing club to be manager of. I make no secret of it.”

Koeman was sacked on Monday after a disastrous start to the season — despite the club spending 140 million pounds (US$185 million) on players in the summer — reached its nadir with a 2-5 spanking at home to Arsenal on Sunday leaving the Toffees mired in the bottom three.

Koeman thanked the board for allowing him to take charge of a “great club”.

“I would like to place on record my thanks to the players and staff for all their work and commitment during my 16 months as Everton manager,” Koeman wrote on Twitter. “Naturally I am disappointed at this moment but I wish the team good luck.”

He became the third EPL manager to lose his job this season, after bottom-side Crystal Palace fired Frank De Boer after just five games and Leicester City sacked Craig Shakespeare last week.




 

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