Jack Grealish has returned to Everton's Finch Farm training base and is on a tailored programme as he looks to regain his fitness ahead of the club's next fixture at Brentford on Monday, November 23. The 31-year-old has missed Everton's last four matches.
Everton went into the second international break of the season on the back of three straight victories – 3-1 at home to Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup, 1-0 away to the same opponents in the Premier League and then 3-1 at home to Coventry City. They were first up this weekend with a debut appearance in Sky Sports' 8pm Friday slot, but they will now be the last to return as they travel to the Gtech Community Stadium after all their Premier League rivals have played again.
Grealish's absence explained
Ahead of the trip to the Emirates Stadium, the club cited Grealish's absence as being down to "sickness", but ahead of the Carabao Cup tie against the Magpies at Hill Dickinson Stadium, the Blues stated that the on-loan Manchester City star had been omitted due to a disciplinary breach. He also remained unavailable for their subsequent two fixtures.
If David Moyes believes the first £100million English footballer is ready to return against Brentford, Tyrique George, who has produced some bright displays during his absence, could potentially move to the right wing.
Right-wing rotation continues
Following Iliman Ndiaye's £65m sale to Manchester City on transfer deadline day, nobody has been able to nail down the position in the Blues' side. George's only goal for Everton to date came while operating in the position against Manchester United after Grealish had come on as a substitute for his first appearance since returning for a second loan spell, but Moyes has never started the 20-year-old in the role.
The Glaswegian gaffer has started a different player there for each of the last six matches. Brennan Johnson got the nod at Hull City before turning to Merlin Rohl at home to Chelsea. Johnson then came back in at Arsenal before Tyler Dibling got the nod for the Carabao Cup tie with Newcastle. When the Blues went to St James' Park to face the Magpies for the second time in five days it was Rohl again and then Dibling once more against Frank Lampard's side.
Options across the squad
The £35m signing from Southampton – Everton's most expensive purchase of summer 2025 – has shown more glimpses of potential this term than he did last season, but after a quiet display against the newly promoted West Midlanders, Moyes could be tempted to shuffle his pack again with all of the aforementioned options vying for a place.
As he has already acknowledged himself, Rohl's best chance of game time might be operating on the right-hand side – either as a winger or a full-back – despite primarily being a central midfielder. The engine room remains one of the few areas in Everton's small and unbalanced squad where there remains an abundance of options, unlike up front where Thierno Barry – now in double figures – remains his only option.
Reigning Player of the Season James Garner and teenager Harrison Armstrong, who has started every Premier League game this term, remain the two incumbents of the deeper roles with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall playing further forwards. This has left Charly Alcaraz, Championship Player of the Season Hayden Hackney, plus another summer signing, Christian Norgaard, who is only just returning to fitness, waiting in the wings.
Right-back berth up for grabs
When fit, left-back Vitalii Mykolenko plus centre-back pair, captain James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite – who along with Garner and goalkeeper Jordan Pickford has been selected again for England's second international squad of the season – all appear to be shoo-ins, but the right-back berth, a problem position for Everton for a long time, remains up for grabs.
After coming off the bench and scoring a spectacular last-gasp equaliser against Manchester United on his debut, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, the recognised right-back Moyes had to wait 20 months to bring in, started five consecutive matches in the role but has since been dropped to the bench for the last four fixtures. His shirt has gone to Rohl for three of those, while away to Newcastle, Jake O'Brien got the nod, so the 63-year-old who is due to overtake Harry Catterick for the most matches in charge of the Blues in their entire history has another potential selection poser for his landmark fixture.
