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‘Good manager’ Benitez not the right appointment for Everton – Anichebe

Former Nigeria striker Victor Anichebe believes Rafael Benitez is not the right manager to succeed Carlo Ancelotti at Everton.

The ex-Liverpool coach returned to Merseyside on a three-year contract in June but he has struggled to help the Toffees record wins as they currently sit 14th on the Premier League table.

With just four league victories so far this season, Everton are enduring an eight-game winless run and their last win was against Norwich City (2-0) on September 25.

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Anichebe recently watched his former club suffer a 4-1 defeat to city rivals Liverpool in Wednesday’s Merseyside Derby and he feels the fans are not behind the Spanish manager.

“There’s no doubt that Benitez is a good manager. He’s a really, really top manager,” Anichebe told Sky Sports.

“But he’s not the right appointment for Everton. It’s just as simple as that. The fans will never take to him, they’ll never ever take to him.

“I don’t really know where they’re going to go from here. Yes they have missed Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Andre Gomes and some top players but they’re still not going to take to him even if they get some good results.

“If you look at how it is right now, you talk about culture, there’s just nothing there.

“The fans don’t really seem to be supporting the manager at all.

“It’s only going to get worse and the atmosphere yesterday was probably the worst I’ve ever seen it.”

Everton won their two Premier League games against Arsenal last season and they will be looking to turn their form around when they host Mikel Arteta's side for a league fixture on Monday.

Nigeria’s Alex Iwobi is the only African star in Benitez’s squad but he was an unused substitute at Goodison Park on Wednesday.

Iwobi has made 11 Premier League appearances this campaign with a goal to his name and it remains to be seen if he will be called upon to face his boyhood club.

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