Jack Grealish has been dropped by Everton for a breach of club discipline, with manager David Moyes confirming the decision. The 31-year-old was left out of the squad for Thursday's Carabao Cup victory over Newcastle after missing a training session earlier in the week. The club issued a statement confirming the player's omission was due to 'a breach of club discipline'.
Moyes supported the club's public stance. "It was a club decision. I support the decision. It's something I don't really want to speak too much about," the manager said in his post-match press conference. Grealish's omission came despite him being on his second successive season-long loan at the Hill Dickinson Stadium from Manchester City. He has made seven appearances since returning to Everton on September 1, but is yet to register a goal or an assist.
Disciplinary breach and squad exclusion
The disciplinary action shows a difficult period for the midfielder. His last start in the Premier League was in May of last season. Over the course of his two loan spells at Everton, Grealish has made only 17 top-flight starts combined. He has not played more than 28 league games in a single season since the 2019-20 campaign with Aston Villa.
Managerial perspective and future
Moyes's terse comments and the decision to publicise the sanction cast significant doubt on Grealish's long-term prospects at Everton. The manager is now highly unlikely to recommend making the loan move permanent next summer. Grealish began this season as part of Enzo Maresca's Manchester City squad, featuring as a substitute in the Community Shield loss to Arsenal and the Premier League win against Bournemouth before his deadline-day loan switch.
Maresca, his manager at City, has previously spoken in support of the player, telling reporters, "I still think that he's a good boy, big heart. He needs to play." Grealish's next opportunity to feature will be in Everton's Carabao Cup quarter-final, for which they qualified after beating Newcastle 3-1. His career, once seen as a potential flagship signing for Everton's ambitions, now appears in a state of limbo, caught between disciplinary issues and a stark lack of productivity on the pitch.
Read the full report at theguardian.com
