LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — Under-pressure Everton manager Frank Lampard said he did not discuss his future during conversations with the club’s hierarchy after a chastening loss to Brighton this week.
There was a febrile atmosphere inside Goodison Park after Everton conceded three goals in seven second-half minutes to slump to a dispiriting 4-1 defeat on Tuesday.
Lampard’s team has since dropped into the Premier League’s relegation zone and has won just one of its last 11 games in all competitions.
Speaking Thursday ahead of an FA Cup match against Manchester United on Friday, Lampard said the nature of conversations he had with the club’s hierarchy after the Brighton game would remain private. But he said he did not need to ask about his own position despite the perhaps itchy finger of club owner Farhad Moshiri, who has fired five managers in less than seven years.
“I will never and would never seek reassurances,” Lampard said. “It’s part of my job to focus on the job in hand, day to day, game to game. I don’t need reassurances. I come to work to try to improve a bit every day — myself, the team, the squad and everything.
“I’m not hunting around for any reassurances.”
Lampard, who was hired in January and kept Everton up last season following a tense relegation battle, said the club’s league position was not his immediate concern, insisting he was focused on a longer-term process.
“If we win the next league games, we’ll be out of the bottom three probably,” he said. “It’s part of the process. I’m very aware of what I came in to do in this job. I want to be a success at this club.
“Any challenges that come along, then I’ll take them on and actually enjoy them. I enjoy working for this club, it’s a real honor for me. That’s why I say I don’t need reassurances. I’m a big man working for a great club and I’ll keep doing it.”
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