In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, ex-Everton defender Michael Ball expressed his concerns over the possibility of players at his old side hiding behind Rafael Benitez.

Benitez arrives at Goodison Park as not the most popular of figures after his stint on the other half of Merseyside with rivals Liverpool.

In the build-up to his appointment as Everton manager, some Evertonians made it clear to owner Farhad Moshiri that they did not want the Spaniard at their club.

It fell on deaf ears, though, with Benitez now in charge of the Toffees. And Ball now fears that unpopularity will give players the opportunity to shield themselves behind the manager if things start to go wrong.

"If we do have a poor performance, who's going to get the blame?" the former Everton full-back said. "Will the players hide behind the manager? That's my biggest problem.

"I feel that a few players over the past four or five years have hid behind managers and this one could be a very easy one for them to hide behind."

Without a doubt, it is not hard to imagine a scenario where things are going bad and the fans instantly go for Benitez while the players fail to take any responsibility.

Simply put, considering that Liverpool connection, the 61-year-old is an easy target.