Grealish faces Everton selection battle after apology and Derby return
Jack Grealish faces a battle to regain his place in David Moyes’ Everton side after returning to action and apologising to supporters following his disciplinary absence.
The 31-year-old featured in Thursday’s behind-closed-doors friendly against Derby County at Hill Dickinson Stadium, having missed Everton’s previous four competitive matches. But with the Blues winning three successive games before the international break, Grealish’s return does not guarantee him a starting place against Brentford.
Grealish apologises to Everton supporters
The Manchester City loanee last played competitively against Chelsea on 17 October. He missed the defeat to Arsenal through illness before being left out of the next three matches following a breach of club discipline.
After featuring against Derby, Grealish posted an apology on Instagram. “I want to apologise to the fans and everyone at the club for not being able to help the team the last few weeks,” he wrote.
He also said he loved playing for Everton and was looking forward to returning in front of supporters. The apology was reported by BBC Sport, while Everton confirmed his appearance against Derby. Christian Norgaard, Charly Alcaraz and 16-year-old Jonathan Nsangou were among the scorers in the friendly victory.
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Moyes faces Brentford selection decision
Everton have won three consecutive matches in Grealish’s absence, beating Newcastle twice and Coventry City before the international break. Tyrique George has been among the players given opportunities during that run, leaving Moyes with a decision over whether to change a winning side.
The manager has declined to discuss the details of Grealish’s disciplinary issue publicly. Asked before the Coventry match whether the international break might help resolve the situation, Moyes said: “We just need to wait and see how things go.”
Grealish will now hope to return to competitive action when Everton travel to Brentford on Monday 23 November at 8pm. His appearance against Derby confirms he is back playing, but Moyes has yet to say whether he will be selected for the Premier League fixture.
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Gary Gowers is a sports journalist and the editor of Read Everton, where he leads daily coverage of Everton news, transfers and analysis. He also writes about Manchester City for Read Man City and motorsport for Read Motorsport. A former accountant, he became a freelance writer in 2011 and has written for BBC Sport and Metro.
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