Everton know Jose Mourinho is open to managing a "bottom of the table" Premier League team after sacking Sean Dyche. The club announced on Thursday just hours before their FA Cup clash against Peterborough that they had relieved Dyche of his duties.

A club statement confirming the news revealed that "the process to appoint a new manager is underway." Under-18s head coach Leighton Baines and club captain Seamus Coleman will take interim charge.

Mourinho, 61, last worked in England almost four years ago. He managed Tottenham Hotspur for 18 months, who sacked him with them sitting seventh in the league and a League Cup final to play against Manchester City days later.

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Manchester United made the same decision when they were one place higher than he had Spurs. However, the team were closer to the relegation zone than the top of the table.

Mourinho recently acknowledged he will be ready for that challenge in the future. Those comments came in late October after a controversial Europa League match in charge of Fenerbache against Man United, during which the referee sent him off for his touchline behaviour after the Turkish team thought they should have had a penalty.

"The best thing I have to do is, when I leave Fenerbache, I go to a club that doesn't play in UEFA competitions," Mourinho said during his post-match press conference. "So if any club in England from the bottom of the table needs a coach in two years, I'm ready to go."

Mourinho signed a two-year contract with Fenerbache during the summer, so there are still 18 months remaining on that deal. That move came after being sacked by Roma following two-and-a-half years in charge of the other club The Friedkin Group owns, with Dan and Ryan Friedkin, thanking Mourinho for his "passion and efforts" at the time.