Williams can see Everton fans turning on Benitez | OneFootball

Former Everton defender Ashley Williams believes pressure is growing on manager Rafa Benitez.

He wrote for BBC Sport: "Everton could not spend big this summer because they were restricted by Financial Fair Play rules, but they still made two excellent signings in Townsend and Gray.

"Then they made a good start under Benitez which settled everything down after all the noise about his Liverpool connections when he was appointed.

"That bought him a bit of time to implement his plan for the team but, like I say, I just can't see what he is trying to do.

"If the results don't pick up soon, the noise about his ties with Liverpool is just going to get louder again.

"We've seen in the past couple of weeks that every Premier League manager is only a few defeats away from the sack, and things are probably even worse for Benitez because some fans were disgruntled before he even started.

"He shouldn't be under pressure, because what Everton need is someone who can build success - it is not going to happen instantly, they should know that by now and changing their manager so often recently has definitely been a disruption.

"Benitez is a top-class manager and of course he could deliver that long-term vision, if he is given time."