Marco Silva has broken his silence following his sacking by Everton.
Silva’s 18-month tenure at Goodison Park was brought to an end on Thursday in the wake of a Merseyside derby humiliation against Liverpool just 24 hours prior.
The Portuguese coach guided the Blues to an eighth-place finish in a debut season which included scalps against Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United.
But with the club languishing in the Premier League relegation zone after their 5-2 reversal at Anfield, Silva departed with Duncan Ferguson placed in temporary charge.
In a statement on Friday, the former Watford and Hull City boss expressed his gratitude to the Goodison hierarchy, Everton fans and players during his reign.
He said: “It has been a real honour to have managed Everton for the past 18 months and I would like to thank Farhad Moshiri, Bill Kenwright, Denise Barrett-Baxendale, Keith Harris, Marcel Brands and the entire board for giving me the opportunity to be part of this special club.
“Thank you to all of the Evertonian fans who always live and breathe the club and show such great passion.
“A special thank you to all of the players, for their professionalism and the commitment they put into their work every day and to to the club staff who welcomed me to Finch Farm training ground and made me feel at home.
“All the best. COYB.”