Wayne Rooney hits back at what Jack Grealish has already done at Everton with hilarious response

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Everton’s signing of Jack Grealish may have been helped by former striker Wayne Rooney.

Earlier this week, Everton secured a season-long loan deal to add Grealish to their squad from Manchester City.

David Moyes has had a major upgrade handed to him ahead of the curtain raiser on Monday night against Leeds United.

Speaking after his move, Grealish admitted he spoke to Wayne Rooney about the possibility of joining his former club.

Now, it is time for Grealish to prove he still has that star quality on the back of some difficult years at City.

Having seen the transfer go through, Rooney has now shared his instant reaction to Grealish joining the Blues.

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Wayne Rooney’s reaction to Jack Grealish wearing 18 at Everton

Grealish will wear the number 18 shirt at Everton, with the forward sharing his admiration for Rooney and Paul Gascoigne.

There will already be some big expectations on the 29-year-old’s shoulders, given the finances involved in the deal.

Speaking on BBC Sport, Rooney jokingly suggested there was another Everton hero who wore the number 18, too.

“Jack is a fantastic player. We did speak about it in tongue and cheek about the No.18 shirt,” he said.

“Unfortunately, Phil Neville wore it as well!

“For Jack, it’s a great opportunity; Everton is a massive club. Great fan base and for Jack to go in and be one of the main players, it’s an opportunity to be one of the main players and put himself in Thomas Tuchel’s plans again.”

Grealish’s brother expects him to play as the number 10, with Everton still on the lookout for a new right winger before the window shuts.

Having trained on his fitness all summer, Everton fans will be expecting to see their latest signing in the starting XI on Monday evening.

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Jack Grealish will be expected to unlock Thierno Barry

A lot of Grealish’s work will be to help improve the players around him on Merseyside.

Of course, the 29-year-old will want to put his name back on Thomas Tuchel’s radar ahead of the World Cup, but Moyes will be wanting to see him bring the best out of his Everton teammates.

Paul Merson expects Grealish to flourish at Everton under Moyes.

The prospect of a fresh start will certainly rejuvenate the forward, who has been suffering from a lack of love at the Etihad Stadium from Pep Guardiola.

Everton have made a lot of changes to their frontline this summer, and the experience of Grealish could well help gel them all together.

Expectations on Thierno Barry may be restricted, but playing with a player of Grealish’s quality behind him will surely be a huge boost.