Duncan Ferguson explains his decision to substitute Moise Kean off 19 minutes after bringing him on
Duncan Ferguson has defended his decision to substitute Moise Kean just 19 minutes after bringing the striker on.
Everton played out a 1-1 draw with Manchester United at Old Trafford, making it four points from a possible six under Ferguson's guidance.
However, one of the game's key talking points came in the 89th minute when the Toffees' caretaker manager decided to take Kean off - having brought him on less than 20 minutes earlier.
The pair didn't exchange words as the striker went straight down the tunnel and into the Everton changing room.
Ferguson though, insists that the decision wasn't a personal one but a game management tactic.
"It wasn't because of Moise Kean's performance it was just because I needed to make a substitution to kill a bit of time," he told Sky Sports.
"I've got so many strikers on the bench, I just decided to make that change.
"It was nothing against Moise Kean really."
Kean has struggled for game time since making the £27m switch from Juventus in the summer - featuring in just 13 Premier League games with the large majority coming from the bench.
The forward's father recently claimed that the striker's transfer to Everton was a "mistake" and he wants him to return to Italy as soon as possible.
"Sending my son to England was a mistake, because he's still too young, he's not feeling good at Everton, I didn't like this transfer," he said last month.
"I hope he can come back to Italy as soon as possible, I hope he goes to Rome, but the important thing is that he comes back here."
On the result itself, Ferguson was delighted with the outcome after a positive result against Chelsea last week.
"It was tremendous," he continued.
"What a fantastic performance the boys put in, what a shift, unbelievable, we just couldn't hang on there.
"We tried to change the shape a little bit but just couldn't get the information on but they were fantastic to a man."