It was more than 10 years ago in a city 5,315 miles away but Landon Donovan remembers his heady first week at Everton like it was yesterday.



The former United States international and LA Galaxy star joined in January 2010 for the first of two successful loan moves. They would make him a hero with supporters and, in turn, he “fell in love” with the club.



But the California native’s first day of training in the midst of a typical British winter was an eye-opener in every sense.



“I believe it was snowing,” Donovan tells The Athletic from his home in San Diego. “The snow was that heavy we actually trained most of that week inside in the dome (at Finch Farm). It was a weird introduction.



“By the time of my first training session outside, I was all over the place, running everywhere and had a great session. I was so excited and buzzing when we came back to the locker room. Then Phil Neville shouts over,...