Former Liverpool midfielder Charlie Adam has praised Everton assistant manager Leighton Baines as a "very, very good coach" after working with him during a six-month stint at the club.
Adam was part of David Moyes' backroom team as set-piece coach in the first half of 2025, when Baines served as assistant manager. The pair also played together in the Game4Hope charity match at Goodison Park, which raised money for homelessness charity Shelter and Everton in the Community.
Set-piece partnership at Goodison
The Merseyside XI beat a Rest of the World side featuring Rivaldo and Clarence Seedorf 3-2, with Baines scoring the winner from the rebound after his stoppage-time penalty was saved. Both dead-ball experts shared set-piece duties, with Baines marauding forward from left-back to create chances for Tim Cahill, Toni Duggan and Tony Bellew.
After the match, Adam said: "He is a top, top player, and you could just still see, even now, his hunger. I worked at Everton for six months and in terms of coaching you can see how he's trying to develop and learn as a coach. He is a very, very good coach."
Learning from a legend
Baines was promoted to assistant manager after leading the club's Under-18s, following Moyes' return in January 2025. Adam said: "He is quiet, he is reserved, but [his attention to] detail, and seeing the game, is very, very good."
"He's a legend of this football club, but to be able to step back in and be a coach… I took a lot for myself learning from him in that period as a coach, and taking it into my own job that I'm doing now, as well," Adam added.
City unites for charity
Adam, now head of academy player development at Burnley, noted the unity between Everton and Liverpool fans for the event. "I think that's something this city is special for, the two football clubs join forces in any moment they can," he said.
"But with things like this, they come together and they put on a good show. They're amazing people, Scousers, and they have come here to support the players here, red or blue."
Reflecting on his time at Everton, Adam said: "It is a proud football club and when you get inside it you understand what the football club's about, and the traditions." He added that the old stadium had "a real good feeling of history" when returning.
