Moyes stonewalls Grealish questions as Everton omit loanee for second time in a week

David Moyes refused to explain Jack Grealish’s continued absence from Everton’s squad after the Manchester City loanee was left out for a second time in a week, with the Toffees boss insisting only that the 31-year-old remains “unavailable at the moment”.

Grealish missed Monday night’s win over Newcastle — his second consecutive omission — having also been left out of the Carabao Cup victory the previous week following what the club described as “a breach of club discipline”. Moyes had publicly backed that decision at the time, and the repeat exclusion underlines how far out of favour the England international has fallen, even as the club now points to a fitness issue.

When pressed by reporters on the nature of Grealish’s absence, Moyes kept his answers deliberately brief. “He’s unavailable at the moment and we will make a decision with the club when we think that availability comes back,” he said. Asked directly whether the issue was fitness-related, Moyes replied: “All I’m giving out is that he is unavailable at the moment.” He declined to address any disciplinary element, saying only: “I can’t comment on that.”

Moyes did, however, leave the door open for a return, maintaining there was still a route back into the first team for the playmaker — though he stopped short of committing to Grealish’s availability for Everton’s next fixture, a home match against Coventry on Friday.

Grealish remains Britain’s first £100 million footballer following his move from Aston Villa to Manchester City in 2021, but his time at the Etihad never matched that valuation. His career peak came during City’s treble-winning 2022-23 season, after which his involvement steadily diminished. His contract at City expires this summer.

Last season’s loan at Everton offered some encouragement — he scored twice in 22 appearances before injury cut the spell short — and his performances were enough to earn a second stint at the club. Yet Grealish has managed only six appearances in the current loan before falling out of favour, leaving his immediate future at Goodison Park deeply uncertain.