Jack Grealish will not play for Everton against Newcastle in the Carabao Cup fourth round on Thursday evening, with the club pulling him from the matchday squad for a breach of its disciplinary standards.
The reported trigger is an unauthorized absence from training earlier in the week. Tyrique George comes in on the left wing at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, kick-off 7:45pm local time.
David Moyes, back in charge at Everton since the start of 2025 and the manager who talked Grealish into two straight loan moves from Manchester City, has not addressed the decision publicly. Defender Jarrad Branthwaite is also absent through concussion protocols.
A second loan already stumbling
Grealish’s latest return to Goodison was confirmed on September 1 as a season-long loan from Manchester City.
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He joined City in 2021 for £100m, a British transfer record at the time.
His first spell on Merseyside, in 2025-26, was ended early by a foot injury in February after 20 Premier League appearances, two goals and six assists.
This season the 31-year-old had worked his way back into Moyes’ starting line-up, playing from the first whistle in each of Everton’s last three league fixtures before being left out of Saturday’s 2-0 defeat at Arsenal through illness. The two absences are being treated as separate matters: Saturday was medical, Thursday is disciplinary.
The Moyes relationship under new strain
The axing lands against a very different public narrative that Grealish and Moyes have built together.
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Speaking earlier this autumn to Flashscore, Grealish credited Moyes with reviving his enjoyment of the game.
“I thank him for giving me my love back, and waking up on a match day and wanting to smile and play again,” Grealish said of the Scot.
Everton and Newcastle meet again in the Premier League next week. Grealish’s availability for that fixture has not been confirmed.
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