Former Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez is understood to be on the brink of being named the new boss at their Merseyside rivals Everton.
The Toffees have been on the hunt for a new man at the helm since Carlo Ancelotti made the shock announcement he would be leaving Goodison Park to re-join Real Madrid.
The Italian spent just 18 months at Everton and despite managing to attract some stellar names to the club could only muster a disappointing tenth-place finish in his only full season in charge. Since news of Ancelotti's departure broke, the Toffees have been linked with a whole host of names including former Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo, ex-Lyon manager Rudi Garcia and recently departed Lille head coach Christophe Galtier.
Two names to have been thrown into the mix that have caused uproar on the blue half of Merseyside are Liverpool legends Steve Gerrard and Benitez, and TalkSport now report that the latter is on the verge of being named the new Everton manager.
Benitez has been out of work since returning from China where he'd been in charge of Dalian Professional. The Spaniard cited health worries as the reason he was returning to Europe, with Asia struggling to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Prior to his spell in the far east, Benitez had managed a whole host of high-profile clubs all over Europe including Real Madrid, Inter and Napoli, and he made a name for himself on British shores by managing Chelsea, Newcastle and Liverpool.
His time with the Reds is bound to make his seemingly inevitable appointment as Everton manager a hugely unpopular decision. Despite being unable to lead Liverpool to the Premier League title, Benitez guided the club to two Champions League finals including their famous 2005 triumph as they came from 3-0 down at half-time to beat Milan in Istanbul.
Source: 90min
