Duncan Ferguson has revealed Carlo Ancelotti called him after becoming Everton caretaker.
Ferguson will begin his second temporary spell at Goodison Park when his side bid to arrest a dismal run of form as they face Aston Villa on Saturday.
The 50-year-old’s unbeaten Premier League run in that previous spell earned him a promotion under Ancelotti, who elevated him to assistant manager.
And the Everton icon spoke of his admiration of the current Real Madrid boss, who reached out to him in the week that followed Rafael Benitez’s sacking.
“Carlo was a fantastic manager, I learned a lot from the man,” said Ferguson.
“He was a great manager, a great tactician, he was great with the lads, a great man-manager.
“He was a real inspiration to me and he had the team flying at one point, it was just the back end of the season we tailed off a little bit.
“I’ve already spoken to Carlo – he called me actually.
“He’s a great guy, an unbelievable manager, so of course I’ve learned a lot from him.”
Ferguson retained his role as Everton’s no.2 coach when Benitez arrived last summer but admitted he was not shocked at the Spaniard’s swift departure.
He added: “I mean, look – the results were there, weren’t they?
“We weren’t too surprised, I think. I don’t think even Rafa will have been too surprised. We were on a bad run, so I think the results speak for themselves.
“I don’t think I want to go back to that [poor run this season] really.
“You’d have to speak to the previous manager about his thoughts on that. That’s in the past. For me, I want to leave that and move into the future.”