Shin issues key: The injuries Everton will need to look out for as Jack Grealish booked in for medical
Jack Grealish is set to undergo a medical at Everton in the coming days ahead of a loan move from Manchester City.
The England international has been keen on an exit from The Etihad this summer, after Pep Guardiola made it clear that the 29-year-old is not in his plans.
And Everton have agreed a loan move for Grealish, which is expected to set them back around £15million.
Grealish will hope to rediscover the form that convinced Manchester City to spend £100m to sign him from Aston Villa in 2021, with David Moyes set to offer him a more prominent role.
Cause for concern in Grealish’s recent injury history
The Man City dynamo spent much of last season off the pitch, but that can be explained by Guardiola’s reluctance to start Grealish, rather than injury issues.
The England international was ruled out for a couple of weeks with a suspected muscle injury in February, but that was the extent of his injury problems.
In fact, the season before saw Grealish spend much more time on the injury table, despite playing significantly more for Manchester City.
Hamstring and groin problems saw the 29-year-old sit out around two months of the season, throughout three separate periods.
| Jack Grealish’s injuries | Games missed |
| Groin injury (2023/24) | 6 |
| Hamstring injury (2023/24) | 6 |
| Shin injury (2020/21) | 15 |
| Calf injury (2019/20) | 8 |
But past that, many of Grealish’s worst issues came before his time at Manchester City.
The Birmingham-born player’s best season in the Premier League came in the 2020/21 season, when he scored 6 goals and provided 12 assists.
But it could have been even better, had Grealish not been ruled out for around 10 weeks with a shin injury.
That same injury flared up in his first season at The Etihad, but the midfielder has not experienced problems with it since.
Calf and ankle injuries have also plagued the Englishman throughout his time in the Premier League, but Everton will be relieved to hear that none of the problems appear to be recurring.
Grealish will endure an increased chance for injuries at Everton
Many of Grealish’s injury problems are directly linked to the way the midfielder plays the game.
Constantly picking up the ball and driving at his man, defenders often elect to get some form of contact when in the tackle, even if that is not on the ball.
- Jack Grealish was the most fouled player in the Premier League during the 2020/21 season, with 109 fouls drawn.
Grealish is among the most fouled players in the Premier League, and the nature of the role he will likely play at Everton will continue that trend.
But the Toffees will be hopeful that the 29-year-old will avoid anything major this season, with the England international set to be key in Moyes’ team.
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