MusaDavid Moyes has admitted that he is still uncertain whether Jack Grealish will be available when Everton welcome Coventry City to Hill Dickinson Stadium on Friday, following the midfielder’s continued absence from the squad.
The Toffees have managed to secure consecutive victories over Newcastle United without the Manchester City loanee, raising questions about when he will be allowed to return to the team.
Everton confirmed before their 3-1 Carabao Cup triumph over Newcastle on Thursday that Grealish had been left out because of a disciplinary issue. It is understood that the 31-year-old failed to attend a scheduled training session, resulting in the club taking action against him.
Grealish subsequently missed Everton’s 1-0 Premier League victory at St James’ Park on Monday night. Speaking after the game, Moyes was asked whether the England international was close to returning.
The Everton manager offered a brief response, saying: “He’s just not available yet.”
Moyes was then questioned about the possibility of Grealish returning for Friday’s meeting with Frank Lampard’s newly promoted Coventry City side.
However, the Scottish manager refused to provide a definite answer, admitting: “I don’t know yet.”
There was also a question about whether Grealish could still have a long-term future in Moyes’ plans despite the disciplinary situation.
The 63-year-old made it clear that the door had not been closed on the winger, responding: “Of course there is, yes.”
His comments suggest that Grealish could still return to the Everton squad once the situation has been resolved, although his availability for the Coventry encounter remains uncertain.
Branthwaite Returns but Suffers Late Fitness Concern
Meanwhile, Jarrad Branthwaite made his return to the Everton starting line-up after missing the previous two fixtures against Arsenal and Newcastle.
The England international had been following concussion protocols after a collision with Chelsea goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, which reportedly left the Argentina international with a broken jaw.
However, Branthwaite’s return was cut short when he was substituted in the 82nd minute, with Michael Keane coming on in his place.
Moyes later explained that the defender had been struggling with cramp in both legs after spending several weeks out of action.
“We don’t think it’s too serious but obviously he’s been out for a couple of weeks,” the Everton boss explained.
He added that the club had hoped Branthwaite would complete the match but acknowledged that the defender was struggling during the closing stages.
“We’re not nursing them back in and we’d have hoped he’d have got through, but he was struggling in the last 15 minutes.”
The substitution therefore appeared to be a precautionary decision, although Everton will be hoping the defender has not suffered another setback as they prepare for their next fixture.
Moyes Delighted With Everton’s First Away League Win
Beyond the individual team news, Moyes was pleased with Everton’s overall performance against Newcastle, believing his players deserved their first Premier League away victory of the campaign.
The Toffees had previously collected points in several difficult away fixtures but had struggled to turn those performances into victories.
Moyes acknowledged that his team had shown encouraging signs in previous matches but admitted that securing three points on the road had been missing.
“We’ve actually done quite well in some of the games getting draws in some difficult games, but we’ve not picked up a victory,” he said.
The Everton manager also reflected on the club’s impressive away form from last season, explaining that he had been hoping his players could reproduce that consistency during the current campaign.
He was particularly pleased that his side managed to leave St James’ Park with all three points while keeping a clean sheet.
“Last season we had a great run of results away from home. So, I was hoping to pick it up and tonight thankfully we did with a clean sheet and we got the goal that counted.”
The result represents another encouraging moment for Everton, who have now recorded back-to-back victories over Newcastle despite Grealish’s continued absence.
Attention will now turn to Friday’s meeting with Coventry, with supporters waiting to discover whether the on-loan Manchester City winger will finally be available again.
Musa
