The surprising reason why Jack Grealish will wear number 18 at Everton

He's joined the Toffees on loan

The 29-year-old is still the most expensive British player of all time — after City bought him from Aston Villa for £100 million back in 2021 — but has struggled for playtime in the last 18-months after being replaced by Jeremy Doku in Pep Guardiola's starting XI.

Despite only starting seven league matches last season, Grealish won three Premier League titles and the Champions League in the three seasons that preceded it.

Even though the England international is one of Man City's most successful ever players, Grealish said that he wanted to follow in the footsteps of a Manchester United legend when it came to choosing his squad number for the upcoming season.

Grealish said: "There were other numbers but my two favourite English players ever are Wayne Rooney and Paul Gascoigne and I know they both wore number 18 here.

"So, as soon as I knew this deal was close, I had a look and number 18 was free, so that was perfect for me and it was the only number I was going to take from that point.

"I spoke to Wayne before I came here and I mentioned that to him, so I hope he's happy as well.”

While Grealish may have hoped to have secured a move to a club playing Champions League football next season, the move to Everton offers the opportunity to take centre stage as the Toffees attempt to begin a new era at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

It is their first season away from Goodison Park in more than a century.

Grealish will hope that all of that extra attention will help him regain a place in England's squad for the 2026 World Cup, after he missed out on going to the Euros last summer.