James McCarthy already feels at home at Everton.
The 22-year-old signing from Wigan paid his first visit to the Club’s Finch Farm training headquarters on Monday evening to complete the formalities of his transfer, once a fee had been agreed with the Championship outfit.
But, whilst his first meeting with his new teammates will have to wait until after his international commitments with the Republic of Ireland, the midfielder has revealed he already has plenty of friends within the Everton camp.
He told evertontv: “I know a few of the boys like Seamus Coleman, Darron Gibson and Shane Duffy. I played against the Everton boys last season so it’s a real challenge but one that I’m looking forward to.
“Obviously it would be good to get to see all the boys but I’m delighted to be here, that I’ve got the deal over and done with and I’m looking forward to getting games under my belt. I’ll go away with Ireland and then look forward to next week.”
McCarthy has also played alongside Joel Robles, Antolin Alcaraz and Arouna Kone under Roberto Martinez at Wigan – as well as having worked with many of Martinez’s coaching staff during his time at the DW Stadium.
The young Glaswegian admits it will make the transition to life at Goodison easier for him.
He added: “It’s things you dream of as a young kid, playing at big stadiums like Goodison. I can’t wait to get out there but I know that it’s going to take time to establish myself and get into the team. I’m going to need to work hard on and off the pitch and hopefully I can get into the team as soon as I can.”
The midfielder also insists the transfer fee – a deal worth £15m – is something that doesn’t faze him.
“You see big transfers happening all the time and I will need to put up with it. But, to be honest, I believe in my own ability and I will give it my best shot.”
McCarthy will report for duty as an Everton player next week, following his international commitments as Giovanni Trapattoni’s side deals with World Cup qualifiers against Sweden and Austria.