Davy Klaassen joined Everton from Ajax this summer

Klaassen was in the Ajax side beaten 2-0 in Stockholm by Rooney’s Manchester United in May.

And ahead of tonight’s game against Atlanta, Everton’s £23.6m signing admits he still bears the mental scars.

The Dutchman has made a slow start to his career in English football but is relishing the chance to shine on the European stage against opponents who finished fourth in Serie A last season.

“I still feel the pain from the final,” said Klaassen, yet to score for his new club, despite an impressive goalscoring record in Holland.

“But I didn’t need to lose in a final to be hungry for this.

“We want to go as far as possible this season and everyone starts at zero.

“It is always important to start the group stage with a win to give us confidence and some breathing space.”

Everton flew into Italy on the back of two emphatic defeats against Chelsea and Tottenham.

But Klaassen sees similarities between Ronald Koeman’s side and his old club - even though the subject of May’s final is off limits.

He added: “I’ve not really talked about that final with Wayne Rooney because I don’t want to talk about it.

“But Ajax had a tough start when we lost a few games but then we kept on winning. That is what I hope for this season.

“I have a lot of confidence in this squad and I know we will win games.”

After their recent dip, Koeman is calling for more aggression and intensity from his team.

He confirmed Rooney will start and while there are likely to be changes from the weekend, Koeman added:“We showed in the qualifiers our approach and it is no different here.

We have more players available now and there could be some rotation but it will be a strong side.

“I always want to be involved in Europe. Of course, I prefer to be in the Champions League but this is still an important competition .

“We want to win it even though there is a long way to go.”