Jack Grelish chose the number 18 shirt at Everton, allowing him to follow the same path as Heroes’ Paul Gascoine and Wayne Rooney.
The England winger has taken on a season-long loan from Manchester City, with Toffee secured a £50 million option for permanent travel next summer.
Everton covers most of Grelish’s salary, which is understood to cost around £12 million. The 29-year-old joined City in 2021 for £100 million, but defeated the pecking order under Pep Guardiola.
He is currently about to revive his Everton career, wearing the same numbers his soccer idol wore to the Merseyside club.
“There’s a reason (choose number 18),” he said. “There were other numbers, but my two favorite English players were Wayne Rooney and Paul Gascoin and I know they were wearing No. 18 here. So as soon as I learned that this deal was nearby, I had a look and No. 18 was free.
“I spoke with Wayne (Rooney) before I came here. I told him about No. 18, so I hope he’s happy too!”
Rooney wore a shirt during his first stint with the club prior to his transfer to Manchester United, where he became an English icon. Grelish hopes that consistent game time at Everton will win him a place next summer with Thomas Touchel’s World Cup team.
But he must first prove Toffee’s worth. He said: “I’m over the month I signed to Everton – honestly, this is a great fan and a great club.” As soon as I spoke to the manager, I realized there was only one place I wanted to go.
“Social media is full of messages from Everton supporters, so there’s that aspect too. That’s another reason why I chose Everton. I want to thank the fans for all the messages I already had. I’d like to thank all the love and support.
Grealish secured three Premier League crowns at City, two FA Cups, the Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup.
However, he managed only 715 minutes of Premier League action last season after sliding down the hierarchy.
Everton manager David Moet said:
“We know that Jack’s ambition is to return to the England team, so we hope we can help him achieve that during the season. We all look forward to working with him and providing him with a platform for him to show us the best version of himself.”
