Anwar El Ghazi has chosen to wear the number 34 shirt for Everton in tribute to former Ajax teammate Abdelhak Nouri, whose career was cut short after collapsing in a pre-season game in 2017.

Nouri sported the 34 for Ajax during his 15 appearances for the Dutch giants. The midfielder suffered a cardiac arrhythmia attack in a friendly match against Werder Bremer in July 2017, leaving him with permanent brain damage.

El Ghazi joins a host of Nouri’s former teammates in wearing the 34 shirt as a tribute to Nouri, with Manchester United midfielder Donny van de Beek, Brighton & Hove Albion defender Joel Veltman and Nice’s on-loan Roma striker Justin Kluivert among those who have selected the jersey at their respective clubs.

El Ghazi, who has joined Everton on loan from Aston Villa for the remainder of the season, told evertontv: “I chose 34 because my dear friend Abdelhak Nouri, who collapsed a few years ago, wore this number.

“It’s not going very well for him, so I want to pay respect to him and there are some other players who are doing that as well.

“I thought this is a new opportunity for me at a great club so it’s a great moment to do so because this is an important move for me.

“I’m really excited to be here, and it makes everything that little bit more beautiful.”

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El Ghazi – who wore number 21 at Aston Villa – becomes the Blues’ third signing of the January window, following the arrivals of full-back pair Vitalii Mykolenko and Nathan Patterson.

Other players who have donned the 34 jersey for Everton during the Premier League era include Francis Jeffers, Shane Duffy and Oumar Niasse.