Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard has stressed the importance of David Moyes at the club and insisted that he needs to stay at Goodison Park.
Moyes has been linked as a successor to Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, and recently said that he would like to manage abroad one day, sparking fears that he could leave Merseyside.
The 49-year-old's contract also ends in the summer and Howard has admitted that Everton need to either resolve the situation or plan for life without Moyes.
"It's a difficult conversation to start talking about where we go if the manager leaves, but it's a conversation I want to have. It's an important one," Howard told the Daily Star.
"He's obviously the figurehead of this club. He's become the person everyone looks to. Whether a board member, a fan, a player or a causal observer, your focal point is David Moyes.
"Everything trickles down from there. We have to have him in place."
Howard also spoke about Moyes's longevity and how he has grown as a manager, adding: "He's matured as a boss and because he's done so much, he can have that quiet bravado about him, where a look does enough."
Howard and his Everton teammates face Chelsea in their next match, today at 1.30pm.
