Oumar Niasse has accused Ronald Koeman of trying to ‘destroy’ his Everton career.
Niasse initially struggled to adapt to life at Goodison Park after making a £13.5 million move from Lokamotiv Moscow in February 2016.
The Senegal international’s plight took another downturn when Koeman was appointed as Roberto Martinez’s successor as Blues manager that summer.
He was demoted to the club’s under-23 setup and allowed to join Hull City on loan for the second half of last season, where he enjoyed a brief resurgence.
Koeman later reintegrated Niasse into Everton’s first-team plans earlier this term after the striker’s deadline day move to Crystal Palace fell through.
But the 27-year-old, who is currently Everton’s leading scorer with six goals, claims that the Dutchman was intent on sabotaging his future on Merseyside.
“When Koeman arrived I was a real good target to destroy,” he told BBC Sport.
“He tried, but I was strong enough to stay. I worked so hard to come to the Premier League so I had to stay in the Premier League.
“For him (Koeman), he worked so hard to let me go. He tried to a do a lot of things that were not nice.
“Having taken my locker, my shirt number, he took me out of the dining room where we eat and took me to the Under-23s without no locker there.
“It was very difficult. You need a very strong mindset to deal with that because you don’t have any respect at the club.
“Using the word ‘slavery’ is too much, but it was very difficult. That’s all I can say.”
Niasse is currently serving a two-match ban after he was charged with diving in Everton’s 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace.