Duncan Ferguson left absolutely gutted after demand made to Everton board was snubbed

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Duncan Ferguson was the Everton hero for a lot of fans during his time on Merseyside.

However, his initial stint was cut short after he was sold on to Newcastle United in 1998 after four years at Goodison Park.

Wayne Rooney idolised Ferguson growing up and even got the opportunity to play alongside the Everton target man.

The 53-year-old went on to even manage the club following various managerial sackings on Merseyside, but now finds himself out of work.

Ferguson is releasing a book on his career and there will be plenty of stories following his time at Everton.

Speaking ahead of the launch, the 53-year-old has admitted there was something which he did find really difficult to accept during his time at the club.

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Duncan Ferguson did not want to leave Everton

Looking back on his time at Everton, Ferguson thinks he could have nurtured Rooney better by providing him with more support.

But it was apparent the striker was also dealing with a lot of his own issues as he admitted he was not exactly setting the best example.

Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, Ferguson also said that he did not want to leave Everton when he was sold to Newcastle.

“It was tough for me at the time, it was tough for me to leave because I loved the club. I didn’t want to leave, it was a great club for me. It suited big centre-forwards. Everton was a great fit for me and I loved my time there,” he said.

“They said they wanted the money. They needed the money. Maybe they just wanted me off the books I was probably the highest earner, but they were getting £8m. If I remember rightly they were paying £7m upfront and £1m down the line.

“I said to Walter [Smith] that I didn’t want to go and he was trying to back my corner. How hard he was backing my corner you don’t know what goes on behind the scenes.”

Ferguson has slammed Everton for sacking Sam Allardyce in the past, with a clear frustration shown towards the previous regime.

But it was eye-opening to hear the Scot admit he told the club not to sell him back in 1998.

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Duncan Ferguson’s Everton goalscoring record

The strong forward was a real threat to Premier League defences and will now be seen as a real throwback centre-forward.

Jamie Carragher said he feared playing Ferguson due to the physicality shown by the Scotland international.

Ferguson did, however, suffer from a number of injuries which he admitted himself hindered his career.

However, he was still able to provide a solid return in front of goal for the Toffees.

So much so, that Everton fans have called for Ferguson to return as a striker coach and show the current crop how to find the back of the net.