Everton chief Farhad Moshiri had a busy day on Thursday.

Not only did he sack manager Marco Silva, despite his admiration for the Portuguese boss, but he spoke with the club's players as well.

The Toffees are in the relegation zone after a miserable start to the season, which was compounded by a 5-2 humiliation at Anfield against bitter rivals Liverpool.

TheDaily Expresssays Moshiri got the players together and asked for them to do more to fix the current problems at the club.

Moshiri was also involved in a lengthy meeting with the likes of Bill Kenwright and director of football Marcel Brands regarding the future of Silva.

Everton eventually announced Silva's sacking on Thursday, but there is no news about who will take over from the Portuguese.

Duncan Ferguson will be in charge of the team for the moment, while former boss David Moyes is among the candidates to take the job full time.

A statement from Everton read: "Everton Football Club can confirm that manager Marco Silva has left the Club.

"Majority Shareholder Farhad Moshiri, Chairman Bill Kenwright and the Board of Directors would like to thank Marco for his service over the last 18 months and wish him well for the future.

"Duncan Ferguson has taken temporary charge of the first team and will manage the side for the game against Chelsea on Saturday.

"The club aims to confirm a new permanent manager as swiftly as possible."