Legends who may be among first to feature at new home

With Everton announcing that Hill Dickinson Stadium’s official opening on August 9 will now be a double-header against Roma as a ‘legends game’ following the inaugural first team fixture, speculation has begun over which giants of yesteryear could dust off their boots to take part.

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As the old boys’ match was revealed former Everton captain Phil Jagielka and Vincent Candela, a stalwart for Roma and the France national team, were the first two names to be confirmed, with the full star-studded line-ups - and special-guest managers for both sides - to be announced in the coming weeks.

Just who might that be though? Fresh from turning down an offer to return to management at Macclesfield Wayne Rooney is arguably the most gifted talent Everton have ever produced.

The Croxteth-born star, who book-ended his career with the Blues between 2002-04 and 2017-18, got something of a rough ride from fans when attempting to speak on the pitch after Goodison Park's final Premier League fixture on May 18, with their chants of: “Manchester is full of s**t,” prompting an equally foul-mouthed response from the former striker, who replied: “I am a f*****g Scouser, by the way.”