Everton's chances of bringing Jack Grealish back to Hill Dickinson Stadium suffered a potential setback after Enzo Maresca declared he is prepared to give the player a second chance at the Etihad Stadium following his shock Manchester City comeback.
Grealish hadn't kicked a ball in competitive action since suffering a season-ending stress fracture in his right foot in Everton's 1-0 win at Aston Villa on January 18. However, after working his way back to fitness, the England international, who turns 31 next month, came on as a half-time substitute for Jeremy Doku, who suffered a calf injury in Manchester City's 3-0 defeat to Arsenal in the Community Shield in Cardiff.
Grealish's return to action
It was Grealish's longest outing for City since he played 71 minutes in their 2-0 victory over Nottingham Forest in an FA Cup semi-final on April 27, 2025. The winger was then deemed surplus to requirements by Pep Guardiola and left out of the squad for the FIFA Club World Cup last summer, paving the way for his loan move to Everton.
However, with Maresca having now replaced Guardiola after a trophy-laden decade in charge, the door has been reopened for the first £100million English footballer.
Maresca's stance on Grealish
Speaking to reporters following Sunday's game, the Italian coach insisted that any player at the club can work to earn minutes on the pitch, and that includes Grealish, who has started just one Premier League fixture for City since December 2024.
The 46-year-old said: “Jack was inside when we were 2-0 down so the game already became complicated after that, but overall I think Jack was good.
“The ones that are still here and want to work every day and if they deserve they’re going to get minutes. At the moment the transfer window is open and we will see what happens.”
Transfer window uncertainty
Our sister title, the Manchester Evening News, believe that Grealish will still leave City before the transfer window closes on September 1, either permanently or on loan.
