Jack Grealish rolled back the years with a swashbuckling debut for Everton, before seemingly declaring his Manchester City career over.
As Everton opened their new Hill Dickinson Stadium against Brighton on Sunday, Grealish made his full debut for the club and was off the mark instantly with an assist for Iliman Ndiaye.
He later laid the ball back to James Garner to fire in a second, equalling his Premier League assists tally from the last two seasons in just one game for Everton.
Jack Grealish celebrates his assist for Everton teammate Iliman Ndiaye.
Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images
It was a positive day all round for Everton as they began their new era in style, and Grealish was typically honest in a post-match interview that seemed to confirm his plans for potentially returning to City.
Jack Grealish appears to close door on Man City return after Everton loan
Everton have a £50m option to buy Jack Grealish at the end of his season-long loan, although that is not an obligation and he still has 18 months remaining on his contract at Manchester City.
Speaking after Everton’s first win of the season, Grealish told Sky Sports: “I absolutely loved my time at Man City. I had a great four years there and won a lot of trophies.
"Hopefully many more goals and assists for both of us!"
Jack Grealish and Iliman Ndiaye loved playing together for Everton 🔵 pic.twitter.com/wrtbdzFrL3
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) August 24, 2025
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“I just felt this summer it was time to change. As soon as I spoke to the manager, David Moyes, on FaceTime I knew it was the place I wanted to come. There were a lot of reasons I wanted to come and today shows why.”
Grealish talking about his time at City in the past tense, even though he could still return to his parent club in the summer, suggests he has drawn a line under his trophy-laden spell with Pep Guardiola.
Jack Grealish and David Moyes speak of his newfound freedom at Everton after Man City exit
Grealish also spoke of enjoying playing football again, saying: “Maybe at times in the last couple of years, I’ve fallen out of love – not fallen out of love, but just didn’t enjoy football as much as I should. That’s down to no one else; it’s down to myself.
“I absolutely love football, and I want to have that feeling again, when you wake up on a match day and you just can’t wait to get out there. That’s how I felt today and hopefully my performance showed that.”
Jack Grealish applauds Everton fans after beating Brighton in the Premier League.
Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images
That could be seen as a dig at his role at City under Guardiola, where he was asked to create overloads on one flank with his superior ball-retention ability, perhaps at the expense of his creative instincts. But Everton boss David Moyes has told Grealish to simply focus on attacking.
“He had licence to go at people,” said Moyes. “He ball-carried and his assists, especially the first one, were a little bit more of what you hope for. I just want Jack to be what he can be. We want him to take people on and be positive.”
Grealish will insist that he is only focussing on Everton, but his comments about freedom and loving life on Merseyside already will naturally draw conclusions around his time at City. And it also bodes particularly well for the season ahead at Everton as a happy Grealish is a dangerous one.