Former Liverpool star Jermaine Pennant has delivered a scathing assessment of Rafa Benitez's management style, accusing him of failing to deal with his players well and insisting Steven Gerrard effectively acted as 'player-manager'.
Benitez was unveiled as the new Everton boss in controversial fashion earlier this month, with supporters critical of the surprising decision considering his successful spell coaching at Anfield between 2004 and 2010.
And now, Pennant has cast further doubt over the appointment by reflecting back on his time working under Benitez and revealing the distant nature of their relationship.
Former Liverpool star Jermaine Pennant (L) has been scathing of Everton boss Rafa Benitez (R)
Benitez was controversially unveiled at Everton despite his lengthy coaching stint at Anfield
'Look, it's different for every player, different players will react differently with Rafa,' Pennant said on talkSPORT.