Exclusive:Forgotten Everton starlet lifts lid on 'surreal' Wayne Rooney moment and his Duncan Ferguson regret

Signed by the Toffees from Northampton Town as a teen, the 26-year-old was viewed as the club’s next potential Duncan Ferguson due to his imposing 6ft 5in figure and goal-scoring prowess. However, loan moves to Aberdeen and Kortrijk followed, before he departed permanently to Reims in Ligue 1 around five years ago, having made just one senior appearance for the Blues.

Injury struggles resulted in Hornby becoming a bit of a forgotten man in recent seasons. However, having returned to fitness, the ex-Everton youngster is now enjoying a resurgence in the German second-tier with Darmstadt. Flourishing in a new position as a no. 10, he has three assists in the club’s opening six league games.

Reflecting on his days as an academy talent trying to make his way in the game, and how it has benefitted his current form in north-western Germany, Hornby lifted the lid on his experience of playing with ex-Everton and Manchester United icon Rooney.

“It was surreal,” smiled Hornby. “To be honest, he was someone who I kind of idolized growing up. He was coming to the end of his career when he came back to Everton. I was pretty much training with the first team every day at that point, and just some of the things that he would do in training left me feeling like ‘wow’.

“He might not have had the pace and the stuff that he had maybe early on in his career, but the intelligence and the vision and the technique were still there. I think it was the first that I’d kind of been star-struck in training. I had to check myself sometimes and be like...’that’s Wayne Rooney.’ It was really cool, and he was another great person to learn my trade from.”

The forward confessed his regret at not having the opportunity to work closer with his fellow Scot Ferguson, though, who was working as the club’s first-team coach during his time at Everton. Often compared to the ex-Rangers and Dundee United man, Hornby says he was another Goodison Park icon who commanded respect throughout the club.

“I probably didn't work as closely with him [Ferguson] on a regular basis as I would have wanted to,” conceded Hornby. “From the times I did work with him, I could tell he had an aura about him. Whenever he walked into a room, you didn't really know how to act. That was the biggest thing that I took away from him.

“People didn’t argue with him, I think we all knew that was probably the best thing to do! It was really good to work with somebody like that, even a little. Especially as a young player coming through, and being Scottish as well. I feel like he had my best interests at heart at the time as well.”

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