Frank Lampard: New Everton manager ‘a unity candidate who can heal divisions’

Caretaker boss Ferguson could not inspire the required bounce in the home loss to Aston Villa, but a fresh pair of eyes with no previous connection to the club or psychological baggage may be beneficial.

Everton will face Brentford in the FA Cup fourth round at Goodison Park next weekend before what can now be termed a relegation battle at Newcastle United, a home meeting with Leeds United and a visit to Southampton.

He must hope his key strikers Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin stay fit together, a luxury Benitez was rarely afforded; find a way to bolster a midfield that will be missing key figure Abdoulaye Doucoure for the next four weeks; and restore the shattered confidence in Everton’s defence.

Lampard deserves real credit for his determination to use youth both at Derby County and particularly at Chelsea, where he mentored and developed players including Mason Mount, Tammy Abraham, Fikayo Tomori and Reece James, all now England internationals.

He will find a fine emerging talent at Everton in winger Anthony Gordon and Scotland’s 20-year-old right-back Nathan Patterson, who has just arrived from Rangers.

There was also a rare piece of good news this week when highly rated 19-year-old forward Lewis Dobbin signed a new contract after fears he might be lured away from Goodison Park.

Jarrad Branthwaite, also 19, showed his potential with a towering defensive performance and a goal in the 1-1 draw at Chelsea in December.

If these youngsters deserve selection, Lampard will reward them, and his status as a player of recent vintage who claimed all the big prizes at Chelsea means they are likely to look up to their new manager.

Ferguson, whose hopes of being appointed manager were dashed, will now work on the backroom staff of his seventh Everton manager, seemingly happy to operate in the shadows rather than leave the Goodison Park bubble to prove his credentials elsewhere.

What influence he wields remains to be seen as Lampard surrounds himself with an experienced backroom team including Paul Clement, the former Derby County and Swansea City manager who worked alongside former Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti at Chelsea, Paris St-Germain, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, as well new assistant manager Joe Edwards, who has moved to Merseyside from Chelsea.

Lampard will work to repair recent fractures in relationships with Everton fans, and his personality and stature are powerful weapons in that pursuit.

What he needs first and foremost, though, is a fast start with good results to put his new club’s season back in some sort of shape and ease those growing fears of a relegation fight.

It is a huge challenge – but exactly the kind of one Lampard has been waiting 12 months for.