"I thought someone was maybe taking the hand but, listen, it's great."

Glentoran interim joint-manager Tim McCann's reaction to reports that former Everton striker Duncan Ferguson is set to succeed Declan Devine could be attributed to that of many Glens fans and those around the league upon hearing the news.

Devine departed the east Belfast club in mid-September after a slow start to the season with McCann - alongside Paddy McCourt - tasked with taking the team in the interim.

They have since steered the Glens to third in the table with four wins and a draw from six Irish Premiership fixtures.

Speaking after a 1-0 victory over Limavady, which was sealed with an injury-time goal from Daniel Larmour, McCann spoke of his excitement of Ferguson's potential arrival and the chance to work with the Scotsman, even if he didn't quite believe the initial reports.

"It's a change and it's caused a real buzz. It is great for the Irish League as well," McCann said on Sportsound.

"It's always difficult for managers coming from the outside, but listen, someone with that stature and that presence, that knowledge, that experience, as being a top pro and international player and all that comes with it, it'll be a vital experience and I think it'll be great."

If Ferguson, who won an FA Cup during his first spell with the Toffees, is to become Glentoran's fourth manager since January 2023, it would certainly represent "a left-field appointment" as former Glens captain Colin Nixon remarked.

Ferguson had two spells as caretaker manager and was also an assistant coach and first-team coach at Everton under various managers between 2019 and 2022.

He then left to take his first managerial role at League One Forest Green Rovers in January 2023, but won just one of his 18 games as they were relegated to League Two.

He then accepted a job at Scottish Championship side Inverness Caledonian Thistle in September 2023, but was sacked after the club went into administration in October 2024 and he has been out of management since.

Given his pedigree as a player in which he featured for Rangers and Newcastle as well as Everton, Nixon believes Glens fans should be excited, even if he does have reservations about Ferguson's Irish Premiership knowledge.

"What an exciting appointment, exciting for the league and exciting for Glentoran. It's quite unbelievable but exactly what Glentoran need at the minute," he said.

"In the back of my mind I worry what does he know about the league, but if he keeps the boys in the coaching positions they're in that will help."

Ferguson will have to pick up where McCann and McCourt left off and hit the ground running, with big league games against Ballymena, league leaders Coleraine and Carrick Rangers to come.

The good news is he has a talented squad to work with, including star striker Pat Hoban, who came off the bench on Saturday after an opening-day injury forced him to miss the next 10 league fixtures.

If Ferguson does take over at the Oval, it is set to be one of the most high-profile managerial appointments in Irish Premiership history and all eyes will be on the Scotsman to see if he can deliver the big trophies that have eluded the Glens in the last decade.