WARDLEWORTH’S had another high-profile visitor this morning when former Manchester United and Everton wing Andrei Kanchelskis dropped in to the Westfield Street bookshop to sign copies of his autobiography.

A mixture of local Evertonians and United fans chatted and posed for pictures with the 36-time capped Russian international as talked about why he has written Russian Winters: The Andrei Kanchelskis Story.

He was in a chatty mood, and happy to talk about his affection for the north west after some happy years, including a couple of league titles and a double.

Kanchelskis said: “I had great time here – this book tells my life in true stories.

“I have some fond memories of the north west from my time at Manchester United and Everton.

“I had four wonderful years at Old Trafford – winning trophies including the title two times and playing nice football.

“It was excellent to win that first title in 26 years at United and was pleased for everybody.

“It was a great team, packed with great players and we played very good football, with excellent attacking play at pace.

“I was lucky to work with a coach like Sir Alex. He was a strong character – he liked to win. But he was different before, during and after the game. He is a nice person.”

Kanchelskis, who is over from Moscow for brief spell, took in last night’s Everton game at Goodison and was disappointed with the 5-1 defeat but enjoyed chatting with fans there who shared anecdotes with him about the 18-months he spent there.

He propelled himself into Everton folklore when he opened his account for the Toffees with two goals in the derby win over Liverpool at Anfield in November 1995.

Kanchelskis said: “Everton are a big club with a good story and history. They had a lot of good players too – and that was a good time for me.

“They have excellent fans – a real family feel and ones that really help the players.”