Ex-Everton star Michael Ball insists Duncan Ferguson is the best available option to become the next manager at Goodison Park.

Reports suggested last week that Rafael Benitez was at the forefront of the Toffees’ thinking when it came to appointing a replacement to Carlo Ancelotti.

On Monday, though, talkSPORT reported that Everton had called that move off due to a vicious backlash from supporters.

Benitez, of course, became a legend during his time managing Liverpool and won the Champions League and the FA Cup at Anfield.

He would have become the first manager ever to be in charge of both Merseyside clubs but Ball now believes that the only option is Ferguson, who has previously been in caretaker charge, taking over after Marco Silva was sacked in 2019.

Ball believes he has every single attribute required to take the club through a difficult spell, and thinks he will also demand that his players leave absolutely everything on the pitch – something that the Toffees have previously lacked.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, he said: “Duncan’s been there. He’s been in the changing room, he’s been on the training field with them, and he can pick and choose what he feels suits him and suits the players. He knows the club and he knows the Premier League so, to me, Duncan seems to tick all the boxes right now.

“The question mark over Duncan now is they say ‘can it last over a season’ or ‘can it last over two years, the way he wants to demand 110% from the players?’ Well it should do, because the players should be putting 110% in each and every game.”