Jack Grealish dropped by Everton after missing training: career crossroads for England's first £100m player

Jack Grealish was excluded from Everton's squad for the Carabao Cup tie against Newcastle United because of a disciplinary breach. The club confirmed the attacking midfielder did not turn up for Monday's training session, an absence that triggered immediate internal punishment. The sanction arrives at a delicate moment for a player whose return to Merseyside had raised expectations as much as doubts about his future.

• Everton dropped Grealish after he missed Monday's training session, calling it a "breach of club discipline".
• David Moyes refused to give details but said he supported the club's decision and highlighted the squad's values.
• Everton beat Newcastle 3-1 with Tyrique George playing on the left flank, the area Grealish usually occupies.
• The club does not see this as a final warning, but the punishment increases the pressure on the midfielder.
• Grealish has made eight appearances this season without scoring or providing an assist.

What happened with Grealish at Everton: Monday absence and immediate action

Everton confirmed before the Newcastle game that Grealish was out of the squad due to a disciplinary matter. The specific reason was his failure to attend training on Monday, and the club chose to make the grounds for his absence public. Such openness underlined the seriousness of the situation: this was neither a technical call nor a routine rest.

The punishment was decided at senior club level, with the full knowledge and backing of Moyes. The manager preferred to avoid specifics after the match, but his remarks sounded like a warning aimed at the entire dressing room.

David Moyes and discipline inside the Everton squad

You probably know I'm not going to give any details. It's a club decision and I support it. It's something I don't want to speak too much about. The one thing about Everton is that they have got real good values. All the players stand behind it and accept the values, on the pitch and off the pitch.

Moyes added that the squad is small, that no excuses are accepted and that the team had shown humility. He did not mention Grealish by name, although the context pointed straight at him. The relationship between the two had been close almost from the start: in August 2025 Grealish said that after speaking with the manager he knew there was only one place he wanted to go, and that was Everton.

The match without Grealish: 3-1 win and George takes the spotlight

Without their playmaker, Everton produced one of their best displays of the season. They beat Newcastle 3-1 and secured a place in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals, where they will face League Two side Fleetwood Town, who knocked out Arsenal in the previous round. The victory came with an uncomfortable reading for Grealish: the team worked without him.

Tyrique George, aged 20, occupied the left flank and brought a more dynamic edge to the attack. That band was Grealish's natural attacking position. The youngster's performance reinforces the sense that the midfielder will have to earn his place game by game, with no room for disciplinary setbacks.

The former Manchester City man's dilemma: little production and little time

Grealish arrived at Everton in the final stretch of the summer window, in a move that excited the fanbase. His previous loan from Manchester City had been cut short by a foot fracture, but he left enough flashes for his return to feel like a reunion with one of their own. Now, however, the numbers carry weight.

In eight appearances this season, two of them with City before returning to Everton, he has neither scored nor assisted. His habit of slowing the game down conflicts with the tempo Moyes demands. And with a paper-thin squad there is no room for passengers or avoidable absences: Grealish also missed the defeat at Arsenal on Saturday, then through illness.

Grealish off the pitch: charitable gestures and controversial episodes

Inside the club Grealish generates widespread affection. Staff and teammates describe him as kind and charming, fully involved in daily life at Finch Farm. He recently donated £10,000 to a fundraising campaign for an Everton fan with cancer, and the family thanked the gesture as a much-needed source of hope.

He also continues as principal ambassador for Special Olympics Great Britain and regularly joins community activities. His sister Hollie, who has cerebral palsy, is a source of inspiration that Grealish often mentions. But his track record also includes less welcome chapters.

Past incidents that feed the concern

In April he was pictured asleep at a Manchester rooftop bar surrounded by drinks, an image that broke no laws but looked unwise for a player recovering from injury. In March 2020 he was fined by Aston Villa and apologised for breaching pandemic lockdown rules. In November that year he admitted two counts of careless driving related to incidents in which a Citroën van and a Mercedes were damaged.

Everton do not view this week's offence as a classic final warning, partly because Moyes lacks enough options to discard potential game-changers. But patience has limits, and every setback edges Grealish closer to an exit from the game's top tier.

What Grealish is playing for in the decisive stretch of the season

The punishment comes just as Everton start to see Wembley on the Carabao Cup horizon. With the team into the quarter-finals and a manageable tie on paper, every matchday can shape the season's story. Grealish must prove he deserves a place in a project that cannot wait for anyone.

His status as the first British footballer signed for £100 million, when he moved from Aston Villa to City in 2021, guarantees him nothing. Rebuilding his career means adapting quickly, meeting disciplinary standards and delivering the output his talent promised. The margin for error is shrinking fast.