Roberto Martinez has backed David Unsworth to be given the Everton manager’s job.
A decision on Ronald Koeman’s permanent replacement is expected to be made after the current international break with Unsworth currently in the running.
The under-23 coach has held the Blues hot seat since Koeman’s departure and helped them climb out of the relegation zone with a 3-2 win over Watford.
Several names have been linked with the Goodison Park helm including Sam Allardyce, Burnley boss Sean Dyche and Atletico Madrid’s Diego Simeone.
But Belgium manager Martinez, who was deposed by Everton in May 2016, believes that Unsworth represents the ideal choice for a ‘calm transitional period’.
“It’s a situation that you don’t want to see,” he told ESPN FC.
“When you are a manager for the best part of three seasons, you become an Evertonian, and from that point of view, you follow the football club.
“And you want to see the club go from strength to strength, so it’s not for me to enjoy that side at all.
“It’s something I hope can change very quickly, and I’m sure there’ll be a lot thought behind the scenes, and at board level they’ll have to make the right decisions.”
He added: “David Unsworth is an Evertonian. As a player, he’s been through everything at that club.
“As a coach, he’s had a massive role in knowing the young players at the club, and now the role will depend a lot on what Everton want.
“If Everton want instant success, trying to get silverware and as close as they can to the European positions, it’s difficult for a manager without experience in the Premier League to take that role.
“But if their view is the opposite, to have a calm transitional period with someone who knows the club and can bring the youngsters to the first team, then he has the knowledge and the passion for it.”