Gylfi Sigurdsson may not have to wait long for a second chance to wear an Everton shirt... and this time he hopes it will fit a bit better!
His new boss Ronald Koeman said the midfielder signed from Swansea will “be involved next week” — meaning he could well face Manchester City on Monday night.
And if that is the most memorable debut possible, then the £45million record signing admits that it wasn’t the first in Everton kit, because he trained with them for a week when he was 12, and was a ball boy for a game against West Ham.
“The only thing I remember is I chucked the ball to Paolo di Canio... and that’s something as a little kid that you remember for the rest of your life.
“It was a fantastic experience — especially for someone young who watches the Premier League back home in Iceland and then you luckily have the chance to be a ball boy at one of the games and be allowed to train with the team for a few days.
“I do remember they gave me a training kit or something I had to be wearing when I was arrived at the stadium as a ball boy.
“I didn’t develop physically until quite late, so I was quite small and skinny. That kit was probably extra small, but it was still too big for me!”
Sigurdsson will be hoping the omens from his first Everton appearance are good — they battered West Ham 5-0 that day in September 2001.