Everton boss Rafa Benitez admits the board were unsure about hiring him due to his time in China.

Benitez has spoken of the interview process.

"This [the Everton job] was a great opportunity," he told the Liverpool Echo. "The owners have ambition and they want to compete, they want to do well and there is the new stadium so everything was fine. It was just a question of agreeing that this was the right solution for me and for them.

"I spoke to Mr [Farhad] Moshiri [Everton majority shareholder] and then there was a big conference call with lots of people and then it was right.

"They wanted to ask questions and then, this was something which surprised me, they did not know me as a professional.

"They can read the press and maybe the Echo (local newspaper) and say 'he is this and he is that', but they think I have gone to China and then that is it. I went to China because I couldn't compete here and it was a great opportunity.

"It was a project with potential and money, but the pandemic changed everything. So coming here meant I could compete again. Owners with ambition."