FORT MYERS, Fla. — At the time, you understood making sure Torey Lovullo didn’t escape to another team. He did a very good job as interim manager of the Red Sox last season, some think even better than John Farrell did as manager.

Farrell was undergoing cancer treatments. There was much uncertainty about whether he could return to the job. Even before Farrell was diagnosed there was talk about replacing him given the state of the team the two years after winning a championship. The Red Sox brought in Dave Dombrowski as president of baseball operations not long after Farrell was diagnosed.

Impressed with the job Lovullo did and uncertain about Farrell’s health, Dombrowski inked Lovullo to a two-year deal with a salary commensurate with that of a first-year manager, with a clause that Lovullo could not seek other managing jobs in the first year of the deal.

It seemed like a sound move at the time, and in many ways it still is. But with Farrell back and Lovullo the bench coach again, the dynamic seems awkward.

“I can tell you that from the moment John was diagnosed and there was talk I would be the interim manager, that the dialogue between John and I has never changed,’’ said Lovullo on Saturday. “We’ve had numerous discussions about this. I can tell you that I am completely faithful to this organization and completely faithful to John Farrell.

“John asked me to hold down the fort while he was gone and I told him I would.’’

Farrell and Lovullo are friends. Lovullo said he wanted to stay, in part, because he didn’t want to leave Farrell on his own as he came back from cancer treatments. But now it looks like Lovullo is the manager in waiting, and if Farrell gets off to a slow start, here comes Lovullo, his friend, to take his spot.

It’s got to be uncomfortable, though neither side will say it publicly.

Farrell has said he knows the team needs to get off to a fast start or stories of his demise could come fast and furious. Lovullo certainly doesn’t want to be in the position of taking over for his friend, but that may be a decision he has to make. He obviously has a lucrative contract that he would have to honor. Who knows what provisions are in the contract or whether he was promised the job after Farrell.

So, what had been a comfortable situation could turn out to be awkward, or even ugly, if a change is made. If things remain status quo, it could go smoothly. Or it could become frustrating for Lovullo, who did give up the opportunity to seek a managing job at a time when there were a few available he might have qualified for.

It was a risk Lovullo was willing to take after much deliberation.

Also, though the players would never say it, they played well under Lovullo. They thought of him as their manager even though Lovullo made it clear he was filling in for Farrell. Lovullo never used the manager’s office at home or on the road out of respect for Farrell. He remained in the coaches’ dressing room.

Lovullo has gone back to being the spring training coordinator, setting up the schedules for drills and fundamental work.

Lovullo was a longtime minor league manager, including one year at Triple A Pawtucket. So, he had done the job, just not at the major league level. He said he had to adapt, and he felt he did.

He said he had to deal with the gamut — including disciplining a player, which he and Dombrowski handled in private. Lovullo said he found a new appreciation for Farrell and other major league managers. He felt one of the hardest things was the time devoted to the media. But even in that area Lovullo passed with flying colors.

He came away feeling, more than ever, that he could be a big league manager.

“Except for the few games when the game was a little fast — I know I didn’t pinch run for David Ortiz at second base in one game and he was thrown out at the plate and we lost the game — but after that I think I caught up to it,’’ Lovullo said.

He certainly did. Lovullo briefly led the Red Sox out of last place.

Lovullo understands how the situation is perceived from the outside, but he insists “it’s not an issue for John and I. We’re on the same page. We want to win and I’m doing everything in my power to help John win. Nothing has changed between us. We’re lifelong friends. I’m happy I was able to hold the fort for him. I’m so happy he’s in good health. It couldn’t have turned out better.’’

Unless the Red Sox get off to a slow start and Dombrowski has a decision to make.

Nick Cafardo can be reached at cafardo@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @nickcafardo.