New Everton manager says he may call 'good friend' Zlatan Ibrahimovic; confirms Duncan Ferguson will be his assistant
Monday 23 December 2019 13:12, UK
Carlo Ancelotti has backed Moise Kean to become a success at Everton and revealed he tried to sign him for Napoli - but warned the forward must improve his professionalism.
The 19-year-old moved to Goodison Park from Juventus at the start of the season but has disappointed so far, failing to score in 16 appearances for the Toffees.
Kean also suffered the embarrassment of being hauled off just 19 minutes after coming on as a substitute in Everton's 1-1 draw at Manchester United earlier this month.
Disciplinary issues have also troubled the forward and he was dropped from the squad for the 2-1 win at Southampton in November for a breach of club discipline.
Speaking about his fellow Italian, Ancelotti said: "He did really well last year. We were involved, when I was in Napoli, to try to buy him. He signed for Everton.
"I think he is a really good player with a lot of talent. He showed fantastic talent last year with Juventus, even if he didn't play a lot.
"But he is 19 years old and for every player that changes country, changes teams, they need adaptation. We have to wait and we have to work on him to improve his quality and be a better professional. But he has top quality."
Speaking in his first press conference since signing his four-and-a-half-year deal at Goodison Park, Ancelotti said his "good friend" Zlatan Ibrahimovic can come to Everton "if he wants".
However, the Everton boss joked the 38-year-old would not come to the club to play after previously warning he was not willing to speak about potential signings in next month's transfer window.
Ibrahimovic is free to move to a new club after ending his spell with LA Galaxy and worked under Ancelotti at Paris Saint-Germain during the 2012-13 season. He received an offer to return to AC Milan last month but no deal has been agreed.
Ancelotti said: "Zlatan Ibrahimovic is a good friend of mine. Fortunately, I have trained a lot of fantastic players.
"Ibrahimovic finished his period in the United States and I don't know what is his idea.
"I have to call him - maybe I am going to call him. If he wants to come to Liverpool to enjoy, he can come. But not to play!"
As expected, Ancelotti also used his first press conference to confirm that Duncan Ferguson, who led Everton as interim boss for four matches following Marco Silva's sacking, will remain at the club.
"I met Duncan after the (Arsenal) game," said Ancelotti. "He will be on my staff. He will be an assistant.
"I am used to working with an assistant from the club. At PSG I had (Claude) Makelele, I had (Zinedine) Zidane at Real Madrid, I had (Willy) Sagnol at Bayern (Munich).
"It's important. I think Duncan knows really well the character of the players, the atmosphere at the training ground. It will be really helpful for me."
