Jack Grealish could become an icon at Everton. But right now he is in the doghouse.

Axed from the team that beat Newcastle 3-1 to reach the Carabao Cup quarter-finals on Thursday night, he appears to owe manager David Moyes an apology.

Moyes would not be drawn after the match on exactly what Grealish had done, but it is understood to relate to a breach of club discipline over an unauthorised absence from training. The problem is, it is not the first time the club have had reasons to be concerned about the former England winger’s behaviour.

The good side of his nature was on full display at the Pride of Britain Awards last week when he presented an award to a young boy who had saved his mother’s life after she passed out behind the wheel of her car.

But it’s no secret that Grealish also likes to party, and just a few days after that swanky bash at Grosvenor House in London, he missed Everton’s defeat at Arsenal through illness. It was after another defeat to Arsenal last December that Grealish made headlines for the wrong reasons when he treated pals to a night out in London that ended in a strip club at 4am.

He missed Everton’s next game, at Burnley the day after Boxing Day, again through illness. A phenomenally talented player, Grealish should be making his headlines on the pitch, but throughout his career he has made them off it, being pictured worse for wear multiple times on nights out.

Moyes would not be drawn on whether the 31-year-old would return for Everton’s Premier League game at Newcastle on Monday, saying: “I wouldn’t give any team news away.” But with such a small squad already at his disposal, he has a right to feel let down.

Grealish was electric on loan for Everton last season and quickly became a fan favourite as he resurrected a career that had gone stale at Manchester City. He was one of the Premier League’s leading providers of assists with six in 20 games before he suffered a stress fracture in his foot in January that ruled him out for the rest of the season.

Only 17 players ended the season with more, and James Garner was the only Everton player to do so.
But since returning for another loan spell at Bramley-Moore Dock, Grealish does not have an assist or a goal to his name in his eight appearances for the club.

He is in the final year of his £300,000-a-week contract at City and was described as having “fallen in love with the right shade of blue” by Everton CEO Angus Kinnear before the Toffees sealed a deal to bring him back to Merseyside.

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But his future is far from settled, and the doubts will only grow if the disciplinary issues continue.
Moyes takes obvious pride in running a tight ship at Everton and praised his players for not letting Grealish’s absence distract them on Thursday night.

“The one thing about Everton is that it has got good values behind it,” he said, after beating Newcastle. “All the players stand up to the values on the pitch and off the pitch. The players did a brilliant job tonight. We are limited in some areas but we are doing our best to keep challenging.”

If Everton are to continue to do so, they are going to need the Grealish who sparkled and shone last season, who won hearts and minds and reminded everyone that form is temporary but class is permanent. It’s time to let his football do the talking.