Everton drop Jack Grealish over ‘breach of club discipline’

Jack Grealish has been left out of Everton’s squad for Thursday night’s Carabao Cup fourth-round tie against Newcastle at Hill Dickinson Stadium because of a breach of club discipline.

Everton took the unusual step of announcing the reason on social media after naming David Moyes’s team. The club posted on X: “Jarrad Branthwaite remains sidelined for a second successive game due to concussion protocols, while Jack Grealish is unavailable for selection due to a breach of club discipline.”

It is understood the breach relates to an unauthorised absence from training, with the 31-year-old having missed Monday’s session without permission. Grealish returned to training at Everton’s Finch Farm complex after that absence but is expected to be fined. He had also missed Saturday’s 2-0 defeat at Arsenal, although that was put down to illness.

The England international is on a second consecutive season-long loan from Manchester City. He had started Everton’s previous four games before the Arsenal match, including Premier League fixtures against Ipswich, Hull and Chelsea, and has made six appearances for the club this term. Everton paid £12m in total for his loan last season and are paying a similar sum for this campaign. He will become a free agent at the end of the season when his lucrative City contract expires.

Last season, Grealish provided six assists and scored two goals in 20 appearances before suffering a season-ending foot injury in January. Having enjoyed his time on Merseyside, he remained with Everton during his rehabilitation.

The player, who cost City £100million in 2021, began this season as part of Enzo Maresca’s squad at the Etihad Stadium. He featured as a substitute in both the 3-0 Community Shield defeat by Arsenal and the 2-1 Premier League win over Bournemouth in the opening fixture, before returning to Everton on loan on 1 September.

Everton are hosting Newcastle for a place in the quarter-finals, where Fleetwood await after their shock victory over Premier League champions Arsenal on Tuesday night.