Everton should give manager Frank Lampard the time to turn things around.

That is the opinion of former Toffee Leon Osman, who spoke about the situation at the Goodison Park club.

Everton are struggling to get themselves clear of the relegation fight, with a 4-1 loss to Brighton at home last week nearly spelling the end of Lampard's reign.

“When you are suffering the results that we are and losing at home heavily, like we did, the manager is always going to be under pressure," Osman told the Liverpool Echo.

“I don't think the manager is under any illusions of that.

"But I hope it is something that he can turn around, I really do feel we have fallen away from what brought us success at the end of last season, getting the ball forward in and around the striker.

“I do think we have become easy to play against and that is a concern, but I do hope he is still in the job within the next few months."

Osman then added: “I think we have shown that changing the manager brings us back to the same position, doesn't it? We might bring in a firefighter for a few months and then find ourselves needing another one not long after it.

“It is a big decision to make, and there is no doubt about that. But I was fortunate enough to be at the club and work a long time under David Moyes, who did come under some really tricky periods and did fight with relegation in that time.

“But he was afforded the time to turn things around so you hope that if a manager is given enough time he can do that.

“But performances, and certainly results, have to improve because at the moment Everton have found themselves in the bottom three and it is definitely not where we want to be."