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Pundit shares 'brutally honest' verdict on Everton sacking Benitez after inside source's update
Frank McAvennie insists any talk of Rafael Benitez being sacked by Everton is “ridiculous”.
The former West Ham hitman, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, couldn’t believe what he heard last weekend.
Last Saturday, Everton were smashed 5-2 by Watford at Goodison Park.
Benitez was heavily criticised in the aftermath of the shock result and, ahead of Monday’s game against Wolves, he told Liverpool Echo his side were “really bad”.
Due to his previous work with Liverpool, the Spaniard faced plenty of pushback from some Everton fans when he emerged as a candidate to replace Carlo Ancelotti in the summer.
A Newcastle source also told this site on 26 October that there remains a glimmer of hope that the club’s new owners can prise Benitez away from the Toffees.
McAvennie insists Benitez knew he would face constant questions over his future and claimed he is working twice as hard as other managers.
“Rafa knows what he walked into,” McAvennie told Football Insider correspondent Ben Wild.
“He’s a Liverpool legend managing Everton, it’s a weird situation. Not many people saw it coming.
“But he’s there and he obviously sees some sort of project there. He will know that he’s under the microscope.
“Everything he does wrong is twice as bad because of the Liverpool connection.
“He has to work twice as hard to win those fans over and sometimes it will be one step forward then two steps back.
“He will be feeling the heat, there’s no doubt in my mind. But that heat has been there since day one.
“They had a really bad day at the office last week and that happens.
“Being brutally honest, I thought the talk about sacking him was ridiculous.”
In other news, pundit tips Everton to axe Michael Keane for Wolves clash after “horror” reveal.