The 30-year-old midfielder scored the all-important goal against Bournemouth at Goodison Park on the final day of last season to keep Everton afloat in the Premier League.

 

However, Doucoure struggled to get into the team in the first half of the campaign when Lampard was the Everton manager and he was close to leaving the club in the January transfer window.

 

 

And the Mali international conceded that had Lampard not been sacked he would have left Everton for sure as he feels he was not being treated fairly.

 

He believes the former Everton boss had something against him as even if he was doing well in training, Lampard was not prepared to get him into the starting eleven.

 

 

“If the previous manager had stayed a few weeks more, I would have been gone”, the midfielder told The Athletic.

 

“It was impossible to not play for a year, but I think with him that was the plan.

 

 

“Even if I was training well and fresh, I don’t think he’d put me in the team.

 

“It was like he had something personal against me.”

 

Doucoure was one of the certain starters at Everton under Sean Dyche and will be looking to hold on to his spot in the side in the new campaign.