Jack Grealish's attempt to reignite his career at Everton has hit a significant stumbling block after the playmaker was excluded from the matchday squad for the second time in a single week. Toffees boss David Moyes has remained cagey regarding the specific reasons for the England international's absence, heightening speculation around the player's long-term future at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Everton secured a Monday night victory over Newcastle, but Grealish was entirely absent from the matchday squad. It marked his second consecutive omission, having already missed last week's Carabao Cup triumph against the same opponent.
The 31-year-old was initially sidelined for a reported "breach of club discipline", a stance Moyes publicly supported at the time. While the club officially attributed this latest absence to a lack of fitness, the continued exile highlights the player's precarious standing on Merseyside.
Speaking to the BBC , Moyes remained tight-lipped regarding the ongoing situation. The veteran manager offered little clarity on when the midfielder might feature again for the Toffees.
"He's unavailable at the moment and we will make a decision with the club when we think that availability comes back," Moyes stated.
When pushed on whether the absence was genuinely fitness-related, as the club had claimed, the manager offered a blunt reply: "All I'm giving out is that he is unavailable at the moment." Attempting to probe the alleged disciplinary breach yielded a similarly defensive response, with Moyes simply adding: "I can't comment on that."
Grealish returned to Hill Dickinson Stadium hoping to revive a stuttering career. The £100 million man is in the final months of his Manchester City contract and desperately needs consistent minutes after gradually falling down the pecking order under Pep Guardiola following their 2023 treble win.
His previous Everton loan yielded two goals in 22 appearances before being derailed by injury. Despite earning a return to the club based on those earlier performances, the playmaker has managed just six outings this term before seemingly falling out of favour entirely.
Everton host Coventry on Friday night, though it remains highly uncertain if Grealish will be reinstated to the squad. While Moyes insists a pathway back to the first team still exists, the midfielder faces an uphill battle to regain the manager's trust and salvage his rapidly fading season.
