Frank Lampard said he was proud to work at Everton and that he loved managing the Blues despite the pressure of the job.
Lampard united his squad and the fanbase during a successful battle with relegation last season, enjoying what he described as a "pretty special" experience as the supporters backed his efforts to lead Everton to safety.
Now, as he faces the prospect of leading the club through another battle for survival, speculation surrounds his future. Speaking ahead of the FA Cup tie at Manchester United he acknowledged that - but insisted he was still enjoying a role he believed it was an honour to have.
READ MORE: Frank Lampard comes out fighting in blunt message over Everton relegation 'reality'
READ MORE: Frank Lampard confirms Nathan Patterson injury blow for Everton amid Dominic Calvert-Lewin admission
Lampard’s future is under heavy scrutiny with Everton in the bottom three after losing 4-1 to Brighton and Hove Albion on Tuesday, the club's third consecutive Goodison Park defeat. He remains in post for Friday's game, ahead of which he reflected on his time at the club - which he has repeatedly said has had a deep impact on him.
Asked why the role meant so much, he said: "I watched the great Everton teams of the 1980s when I was a kid. That always sticks in my mind, growing up.
"I’m not just saying Everton, I remember Liverpool as well. I know the history of the club because my dad was a player around that time as well. I always had a big respect for Everton, playing against them, managing against them – I lost here twice when I was at Chelsea, I felt the atmosphere and the positivity.”
Lampard went to great lengths last season to build a rapport with supporters, one that was crucial to inspiring the scenes that kept Everton up. His time at the club has had a “deep impression” on him, he said, adding: “When I joined the club, I got a really warm reception. It just felt like a big deal to me.
"I wasn’t being impressionable, I just had been out of work for a year. I am proud. I understand what it means to manage a top football club. I had done it before with a club that I had played at for a long time and this just felt different.
"I have enjoyed pretty much every bit of it. I’m not going to sit here and say the pressure is not huge because that is the case at a Premier League club. But as much as Tuesday was tough for the fans and the players because it was one of those nights, when you play for a club with this passion and size, it comes with the territory. You have got to be big and stand up to it.
"It might be easy to say that because I have experiences from playing for a long time that were good and bad. But I don’t take that as a big negative. I just want to put it right.
"What we did at the back end of last year was pretty special. The support here outside the training ground, what we got when we turned up at Goodison. That had a big impression on me. I’m not reminiscing in that kind of way, you just understand what it means to people. I’ve enjoyed working here.”
READ NEXT:
- Everton sent blunt relegation message as seven players highlight major Frank Lampard problem
- Frank Lampard sends clear message over Everton future as 'private conversations' held
- Frank Lampard breaks silence on Danny Ings links and details Everton's transfer plans
- Everton must make decision on major changes before Manchester United including Jordan Pickford risk
- Farhad Moshiri's Everton admission comes back to haunt him as transfer failings painfully exposed
