David Weir emerges as surprise Everton boss candidate

Liverpool: Everton have identified former captain David Weir as an alternative to their leading managerial candidate, Roberto Martinez, if the Spaniard stuns football by deciding to stay at Wigan this week.

Martinez remains a firm favourite among the Everton hierarchy but they are unwilling to commit until he makes up his mind about his future at the DW Stadium. The former Swansea manager is in his native Spain this weekend mulling over his next move.

Wigan owner Dave Whelan says he will meet his manager for lunch on Tuesday before announcing his and the club’s intentions later in the day.

Last summer, Martinez was interviewed by Liverpool and courted by Aston Villa before deciding to stay at Wigan.

Everton have not yet made a formal approach for Martinez after seeing how Whelan hijacked Liverpool’s interest in him a year ago. But the Spaniard has strong support within the Merseyside club after his budget team beat Everton 3-0 at Goodison Park on the way to winning the FA Cup this season.

Martinez’s prospects of bringing in some of his own backroom team will be improved if, as expected, Everton assistant manager Steve Round and goalkeeping coach Chris Woods follow David Moyes to Manchester United.

Internal candidates

While he waits, Everton chairman Bill Kenwright has interviewed three internal candidates for the manager’s job: former Goodison Park players Alan Stubbs, Phil Neville and Weir. And it is Weir who has particularly impressed the chairman as having the personality and credentials to step into Moyes’s shoes.

Weir, 42, played for Everton for eight years between 1999 and 2007 as well as representing Hearts, Rangers and Scotland. He is currently on the coaching staff at Goodison Park.

Outgoing Everton manager Moyes, who rates Weir highly, has said publicly he thinks his successor should be someone with the ‘steel’ associated with the club.

Martinez is regarded as one of the brightest young coaches in the game but has just endured a roller-coaster season in which Wigan won the FA Cup and were then relegated from the Premier League in little over 72 hours.

Whelan has successfully fought off approaches from clubs before for the 39-year-old Martinez but admits it will be harder to keep his highly-regarded boss in the Championship. Whelan said: “I am due to meet Roberto for lunch on Tuesday and we’ll announce what is happening after that.

“I can’t offer him Premier League football but we are still a club in a strong position to go for promotion next season. I’ll tell him we can keep any player he wants to.”