Jody Morris has explained why he didn't join Frank Lampard's coaching staff at Everton.
Lampard was appointed Everton manager last month, signing a two-and-a-half-year contract with the Goodison Park club.
Duncan Ferguson and Allan Kelly have both continued at the club in their coaching positions, while Lampard opted to bring in four new faces with him.
Joe Edwards was named as Lampard's assistant, while Paul Clement, Chris Jones and Ashley Cole all took up first-team coaching positions.
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But one notable absentee from Lampard’s coaching staff was Morris, who had been the former England international’s assistant at both Derby County and Chelsea.
However, former Chelsea midfielder Morris has now revealed that his own ambition to be a manager was the reason behind him not joining Lampard at Everton.
“When we first got sacked from Chelsea (in January 2021), after about a month I was approached by a Championship club to interview for the manager’s job," he told talkSPORT via Training Ground Guru.
“I rang Frank straight away and said, 'I don’t want it to look like I’m jumping ship, what do you think?'
“First of all I wanted his advice as a mate and I also wanted to let him know I’m not looking at doing something else. He was like ‘absolutely.’
"The club, he felt, was quality and he said it was a great opportunity.
“I always felt I would be a manager one day but didn’t think I’d thinking about it so soon. I went and spoke to the club a couple of times and the more I thought about it, the more I realised it was something that suited the way I was feeling, that I want to be a manager myself.
“I’ve spoken to three or four clubs now and am in that process of committing - that’s what I want to do.
“I haven’t got over the line with the clubs and hopefully I’m not sitting here this time next year saying the same thing because I don’t want to be out of work forever, but being a manager is definitely what I want to do.”
