Former Everton captain claims Howard Kendall ‘didn’t tell the truth’ about his exit

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Steve McMahon has claimed that Howard Kendall lied about his Everton exit.

Speaking to the Liverpool Echo, the former captain admitted that he would have been happy to stay at Goodison Park in 1983.

Born on Merseyside, McMahon came through Everton’s academy after appearing as a ball boy. The former midfielder made his debut in 1979, making 90 appearances and earning the club captaincy.

However, the ex-England international left Everton to join Aston Villa, before eventually returning to Merseyside with Liverpool in 1985. McMahon spent six years with the Reds and became one of the few players to play for both rivals.

However, McMahon has now set the record straight on his exit after years of criticism from Toffees supporters.

“I didn’t walk out on Everton; I would have gladly signed a new contract with Everton, but Howard Kendall, God bless him, didn’t tell the truth about why I left,” McMahon told the Echo.

“My contract was up. They didn’t offer me what I was worth. I had been there for three years as a pro, with the same money; nothing changed, and it was an insult, to be fair, as to what they offered me.

“I wasn’t prepared to accept that. I was captain, a local boy, and I just thought they were taking the mickey out of me, out of local guys. You had other people coming in, and it didn’t sit well with me, so I decided to leave.”

From Everton to Liverpool

There are over 40 players to have played for both Liverpool and Everton, despite the fierce rivalry.

Some interesting names include Peter Beardsley, Don Hutchison and Conor Coady, while current goalkeeper Andy Lonergan joined Everton from Liverpool in 2021. Though the 39-year-old hasn’t actually made an appearance for either side.

A lot of these players made the controversial move a long time ago and there would certainly be a lot more uproar now, with even Coady being slammed by Liverpool fans when he joined Everton, despite only making one senior appearance for the Reds.

Steve McMahon might be right about why he left Everton in the first place, but that doesn’t really explain why he had to join Liverpool two years later.