Everton are sweating on the severity of a foot injury to Jack Grealish amid fears the England winger could be ruled out for a sustained period.
The 30-year-old played the full 90 minutes as Everton beat his former club Aston Villa on Sunday but has been sent to see a specialist after reporting pain in his foot.
There are fears he has suffered a suspected stress foot fracture and that the blow could keep him out for a significant length of time, which would be a bitter blow to David Moyes given how the Manchester City loanee has helped transform his team.
Grealish will see a foot specialist in the coming days and further assessments will determine whether it is as serious as the Toffees fear. If it is he could be out for up to eight weeks.
England boss Thomas Tuchel spoke to Grealish at Villa Park on Sunday and the player was hoping to force his way into the German’s World Cup plans. He has not played for the Three Lions since October 2024.
Everton were just seeing the light at the end of the tunnel in terms of an availability crisis with Senegal heroes Iliman Ndiaye and Idrissa Gana Gueye set to return this weekend after winning the Africa Cup of Nations. They were in Dakar on Tuesday for an open-top bus parade.
Jack Grealish could be out for up to two months with a suspected stress fracture in his foot
Grealish complained of pain after playing the full 90 minutes of Everton’s 1-0 win at Aston Villa
Jarrad Branthwaite is stepping up his recovery from a hamstring issue after not playing this season though he may need some games with the Under 21s to build fitness, while Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall is also on the comeback trail.
But for all that Grealish incurred the wrath of manager Moyes for his needless red card against Wolves over the Christmas period, the Scot knows what a crucial player he can be with his intelligent use of the ball.
Grealish was banished for two cases of dissent, the second of which was sarcastically clapping at Tom Kirk, a 33-year-old who was officiating in the Premier League for just the second time.
After the game had ended, the England international sought out the referee in the tunnel to air more grievances.
Moyes read the riot act, but Sunday’s victory suggested the penny had dropped. Off the field, Grealish is a livewire and hugely popular character within the club. But it is on the pitch where he will be missed most now.
