Vitor Pereira has pulled out of the running to become the next Everton manager as the club’s search for a new boss suffers a blow.
The Shanghai SIPG coach was high on the Toffees’ list of targets to succeed Marco Silva, who was sacked last week.
“In this moment I am not in a position to make any other commitments. I need time to think and plan my future by looking at the options I have,” Pereira told Sky Sports News.
Duncan Ferguson is currently in temporary charge of the club and guided them to an impressive 3-1 victory over Chelsea at Goodison Park last Saturday.
But the Toffees still intend to appoint a permanent manager as soon as possible and Pereira was among the favourites.
The former Porto boss was interviewed for the Everton job back in 2013 after leading the Portuguese club to back-to-back Primeira Liga titles.
Ferguson, meanwhile, has played down any talk of him getting the job on a permanent basis.
After the victory over Chelsea, he told talkSPORT: “We want the best managers in the world managing this football club and that’s that.”
Former heavyweight boxer and Everton fan Tony Bellew recently told talkSPORT he wasn’t all that keen on the idea of Pereira getting the job anyway.
“You can’t be bringing in someone who has done something in Portugal but has never tasted the Premier League,” he told the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast.
“You can’t be taking a risk at this point and you can’t be taking on people who have got no Premier League experience.
“The last thing we need to do is have an experiment with Everton with the position we’re in at the moment.”
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