Man City’s on-loan winger Jack Grealish has said sorry to Everton supporters after playing his first game in almost four weeks, a full 90 minutes in a 4-1 win over Derby County behind closed doors.
The 31-year-old missed Everton’s last four matches through illness, a breach of club discipline and a lack of fitness. Thursday’s friendly at Hill Dickinson Stadium was his first appearance since the 2-0 home defeat to Chelsea on 17 October.
Hours after the final whistle, Grealish went on Instagram to apologise to the fans and everyone at the club, and the timing tells you he wants this chapter closed before the Premier League restarts.
What did Jack Grealish say in his apology?
Grealish kept it short. He wrote: “Nice to be back out there with the boys today after a few good days training! I want to apologise to the fans n everyone at the club for not been able to help the team the last few weeks.”
He added that he loves playing for the club and can’t wait to be back in front of the supporters in an Everton shirt, signing off with “See you all soon.”
He had returned to Finch Farm late last week to start a tailored training programme, and the Derby game was the next step. Christian Norgaard also played the whole match, Charly Alcaraz scored twice and 16-year-old Jonathan Nsangou got the other goal.
Four games missed, and not all of them for the same reason
Grealish first dropped out for the defeat to Arsenal, with the club citing sickness. Then, a couple of hours before the Carabao Cup tie with Newcastle United, Everton confirmed he was unavailable because of a breach of club discipline.
The Blues won that cup tie 3-1, which set up a quarter-final against Fleetwood Town next month. Grealish then sat out the 1-0 league win at Newcastle because of a lack of fitness, and was still missing when Everton came from behind to beat Coventry City 3-1 just before the international break.
That made it three straight wins without him, which says plenty about the squad David Moyes has built. It also left the manager answering Grealish questions before and after every game, which we covered when he was dropped again by Everton and when he went on to miss a fourth straight game.
What has Moyes said?
Moyes has called it a club issue all along. Before the Coventry game he said: “Jack’s not available. I wouldn’t give you the plan, but we will be working with Jack again soon.”
Asked for an update after the win over the Sky Blues, he said only: “There’s no more detail at the moment.”
Where does this leave Man City?
This is not only an Everton matter. Grealish is in the last year of his contract at the Etihad, and Everton brought him back from City for a second loan spell on deadline day. According to the Liverpool Echo, talks with City have also taken place as part of the ongoing disciplinary process.
Everton’s next Premier League game is away at Brentford on Monday, 23 November, and that is the first chance for Grealish to get back into a matchday squad.
Verdict: Grealish needs Brentford more than Everton need him
The apology was the right call, and so was 90 minutes against Derby. But Everton won three on the bounce without him, so the burden of proof sits with the player now, not the club.
For City, the picture is simple. A player in the last year of his deal needs his loan to go well, because that is what any club interested in him next summer will look at. A strong run from Brentford onwards puts this episode behind him. Another absence makes it the first thing anyone remembers about his time on loan.
