Jack Grealish has probably waved goodbye to Everton after new developments
Jack Grealish has been told his time in an Everton shirt is probably over due to a foot injury.
Grealish swapped Manchester City for Everton on a season-long loan last summer and impressed during his stint at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Unfortunately for him, after scoring two goals and adding six assists in 22 matches in all competitions, the 30-year-old suffered a stress fracture in his foot in January.
David Moyes admitted Grealish is “probably” out for the rest of the season, with the winger then taking to social media on Tuesday to confirm he’d had surgery.
Now, the Mirror’s chief sports writer, Andy Dunn, has stated that it is unlikely that Grealish will play for the Toffees again, despite talk of him joining Everton permanently.
Jack Grealish confirms his season is over in bitter blow
Grealish left City for Everton in a bid to re-energise his flat-lining career. And for a time, it seemed like the move was a masterstroke as he rediscovered some of his former swagger.
At City, Grealish was moulded into a system player by manager Pep Guardiola, and over time, he lost the spark that led the Citizens to pay £100million for his services from Aston Villa in 2021.
The ex-Villa man may have been in contention to make England’s World Cup squad this summer, but those hopes are over after this injury blow.
In an Instagram post, he wrote that he “didn’t want the season to end like this”, as his focus shifted to getting back fit.
Grealish said Everton fans’ support “meant the world” to him, and their backing has been incredible over the past few months.
Despite him stressing he “loved” representing Everton, Dunn does not believe Grealish will be pulling on the club’s colours again.
In the print edition of the Sunday Mirror, he wrote: “Posted with a post-surgery photo from hospital, this is probably goodbye to Everton for Jack Grealish. Top man.”
He has been linked with a permanent switch to Everton, but whether or not that will happen remains to be seen.
How big a miss will Grealish be for Everton?
While Grealish only scored two goals in an Everton shirt, he was their biggest creative force by a clear margin.
Thierno Barry, Iliman Ndiaye and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall have five goals apiece this term, but in the assist department, Grealish led the way.
James Garner is Everton’s next highest assist maker with three, followed by Ndiaye, Dewsbury-Hall, and Tim Iroegbunam on two each.
As Sofascore shows above, Grealish gave Everton an extra level of creativity, one that they will certainly miss for the remainder of the season.
The Toffees are in with a shot of securing European football for the first time since 2018. They sit three points behind Brentford, who occupy the Conference League qualification spot.
If they are to return to European football, Grealish’s teammates will need to step up, else a season of promise may fall by the wayside.
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