Abdoulaye Doucoure has opened up about his difficult relationship with Frank Lampard during their time together at Everton, revealing that a big argument led to him being banished to the Under-21s. Despite being a regular starter under Lampard’s tenure, their relationship soured in the following season, leaving the Mali midfielder frustrated and isolated. Doucoure recalled the moments leading up to his exclusion, revealing that after a heated confrontation with the manager, he was told to train separately from the first-team squad.
The fallout from the argument led to Doucoure being excluded from the team and sent to train with the Under-21s, a decision that left him upset. “He didn’t talk, there was no communication between me and him,” Doucoure explained on The Overlap Breakdown. “I was training with the Under-21s because I was excluded from the team, he pushed me away.” The disagreement occurred after a home game, when Doucoure confronted Lampard about his situation, telling him his frustrations. Lampard, feeling disrespected by Doucoure’s honesty, decided to isolate him from the squad. “The day after they said you cannot stay with the team, he felt disrespected by me in front of the other players, and they said you need to train with the Under-21s or train alone.”
Doucoure’s decision to train alone was a temporary situation, lasting only a few days before Lampard was dismissed. “Luckily it was not long, two or three days, because I think he was sacked a week after,” Doucoure said, reflecting on the short-lived exclusion. Despite this period of tension, Doucoure’s fortunes at Everton improved once Lampard was replaced by Sean Dyche. Under Dyche’s guidance, Doucoure became a key player once again, much like he had been under previous manager Carlo Ancelotti. Doucoure has been consistently utilized by new manager David Moyes as well.
Looking back at his time under Lampard, Doucoure feels that the former Chelsea manager made a significant error in judgment. “Frank Lampard is the only manager who didn’t trust me a lot. I think he made a mistake with me to be honest,” he said. Despite his exclusion, Doucoure maintained a humble attitude and insisted that he never questioned Lampard’s decisions. “I am a hard-working guy and a humble person, I work hard in training,” he explained. However, the lack of opportunity left him feeling unjustly treated. “Sometimes you have to be fair and I don’t think he was fair with me, leaving me on the bench for so many games.”
Doucoure admitted that this period was the hardest of his career, as his future at Everton seemed uncertain. “It was very hard because I love Everton, and because of my relationship with him I was pushing away, I was nearly out of the club,” he revealed. His perseverance paid off, as he eventually signed a new contract with the club after proving himself under Dyche. Despite the struggles, Doucoure remains proud of his dedication to the club, saying, “I always believe in hard work, hard work pays off.”
Lampard, now at the helm of Coventry City, has overseen an improvement in the team’s results since his appointment in November. Doucoure believes that his time at Everton served as an important lesson for Lampard, acknowledging that the former England midfielder learned valuable lessons from his managerial stint at Goodison Park. “He was a great player, he was a fantastic player, everyone knows that. But as a manager, at Everton it was a big lesson for him, and I think he learned from that,” Doucoure concluded.