Frank Lampard backroom staff options as Everton face Duncan Ferguson dilemma

With Frank Lampard closing in on becoming the next Everton manager, thoughts are turning to who might form his backroom staff - and whether that might include Duncan Ferguson.

Ferguson took charge of Everton’s 1-0 home defeat to Aston Villa eight days ago in what was his second stint as caretaker boss having previously held the fort for four matches during December 2019.

The Scot – who ironically defeated Lampard’s Chelsea side 3-1 at Goodison Park in his first game in charge of his initial spell at the helm – served as assistant to Rafa Benitez and predecessor Carlo Ancelotti having also been part of the Blues first team coaching staff under Roberto Martinez, Ronald Koeman, Sam Allardyce and Marco Silva.

Ferguson admitted in his pre-match press conference ahead of the Aston Villa game that despite now being 50 (the same age as Walter Smith when he was appointed Blues boss and one year younger than Howard Kendall third time around) he still lacks the experience to be considered for the role on a long-term basis even though it's a position he covets.

So could this be the time that he makes a clean break and seeks a more senior position elsewhere?

At both Derby County and Chelsea, Lampard employed his former Stamford Bridge team-mate Jody Morris – a two-time FA Youth Cup-winning coach with the west London outfit – as his assistant manager.

However, it was reported at the end of last season that the pair were set to part ways ahead of their anticipated returns to football.

Although Lampard and Morris, both 43, are understood to be open to accepting positions independent of each other, they were not definitively closing the door on combining again under the right circumstances.

However, there has been no mention of