David Unsworth has emphasised he does not need a timeframe to be put on his stint as Everton's caretaker manager. Thursday's Europa League home clash with Atalanta will be the Toffees' sixth game since Unsworth was placed in temporary charge following Ronald Koeman's sacking on October 23th.
It emerged last week that Everton had had overtures for Watford boss Marco Silva rejected. And when asked on Wednesday if he was aware of any update with regard to the managerial situation, Unsworth – who has expressed his desire to have the job permanently – said: "No, no change that I've been told.
“We just continue to the next game, and we do that as passionately as we have done from the start. No change at the moment.”
Unsworth was then asked if he needed a timeframe put on how long the current arrangement would last.“No I don’t. Everything I do from when I get up in the morning to when I go to bed at night is about Everton.”
Unsworth, who stepped up from the under-23s after Koeman was axed and has so far overseen three losses, followed by a win and then a draw, added that he had been involved in discussions regarding January recruitment.
“Conversations have already taken place as regards to areas we need improving, or recruitment in January, and they will continue to be had. In all aspects of the job, I am in communication with every department. That won’t change day to day, week to week, depending on how long I am in the job, until somebody else takes this seat.
“The board haven’t asked me specifically [about who he would sign]. I’ve had conversations with our recruitment department, with Steve Walsh [Everton’s director of football], about what I think about the team and the squad, and we’ll continue to have those conversations every day.”
Respectful
With two Group E games to go, rock-bottom Everton have already crashed out of the Europa League, but Unsworth has vowed to select a "strong" side for Thursday's contest.
“We are going to pick a team to win, a strong team that we we feel is the right one. We will be respectful to our fans. We put on the Everton shirt and we’re fully respectful of that.”
Meanwhile, Yannick Bolasie trained with his Everton team-mates on Wednesday as the winger stepped up his rehabilitation from a long-term knee injury.
The session at Finch Farm saw Bolasie training with the senior squad for the first time since sustaining anterior cruciate ligament damage to his right knee on December 4th last year. Unsworth hopes the DR Congo international could make a return to action by the new year.
