André Gomes has admitted it caused him ‘great sadness’ to see Marco Silva leave Everton as the Portuguese boss was vital to him joining the club.
Everton sacked Silva at the end of November after a dismal run of form and 5-2 defeat to rivals Liverpool at Anfield.
He managed just 18 months in charge at Goodison Park, taking charge of 61 games in total but managing the same amount of wins as defeats in that time (25).
Gomes was signed in the same summer as the Portuguese boss, initially joining on loan from Barcelona before turning the move into a permanent one last year.
Sadly he was out injured when Silva departed and admits he thinks his countryman was doing an excellent job on Merseyside.
“Marco Silva was instrumental, and he knows how grateful I am for his trust in me,” he told Record.
“I’m very happy at Everton, but it was a great sadness when he had to leave the club.
“I was in Portugal recovering when he left, but I only have words of thanks for all the work and care that Marco and the rest of the technical team had for me.
“I had other proposals, but when I started talking to Marco, and when he explained to me the path Everton had mapped out it was fundamental to being where I am today.
“I am very grateful to Marco Silva, from whom I learned a lot. (His) departure was a consequence of not great results, although he was doing an excellent job at Everton.”
It did not take Everton to find a replacement for Silva, with just over a month passing before they announced Carlo Ancelotti as his successor.
Napoli sacked the Italian at the beginning of December, but that did not put off the Toffees, who moved decisively to tie up the Champions League winner ahead of any potential competition.
The appointment has proved to be a superb one so far, with Ancelotti managing five wins from his first 11 games and helping to push Everton into European contention.
Gomes is yet to establish himself under the Italian, having just returned from injury, but says his attitude towards him has been second to none.
“Carlo Ancelotti had a spectacular attitude towards me,” he added.
“He called me to find out how I was and what stage of the recovery I was in.
“He is a coach with incredible experience, he’s been to the best clubs in the world and is an exceptional person.
“His work has been very positive for all of us. The club decided to make a change, and Ancelotti has done an exceptional job.”
