World Cup dream over? Grealish ruled out for rest of the season

Jack Grealish’s time at Everton has been cut short by another cruel injury setback, one that could also put his World Cup ambitions in serious jeopardy. The England forward, currently on loan from Manchester City, is facing an extended spell on the sidelines after suffering a stress fracture in his foot, with manager David Moyes conceding that the season is likely already over for him.

Surgery is strongly being considered, after which Grealish would need to undergo a prolonged rehabilitation process. The setback comes as a major blow, given how impressive his early weeks on Merseyside had been following Pep Guardiola’s decision to allow him to leave the Etihad.

Grealish made an instant impact, delivering four assists in his opening two starts and earning the Premier League Player of the Month award for August — collected fittingly during the week of his 30th birthday.

He also provided decisive moments on the pitch, scoring a dramatic stoppage-time winner against Crystal Palace at the Hill Dickinson Stadium and netting the crucial goal in Everton’s first league triumph away at Bournemouth. In total, he made 19 appearances, but his outing against former club Aston Villa on January 18 now appears set to be his final one, at least in the short term.

Providing an update ahead of Saturday’s meeting with Brighton, Moyes explained the situation to the media: “We believe he’s probably going to need surgery but that’s still not absolutely confirmed, but it probably rules him out for the rest of the season, yes. Look, it’s really disappointing for the player, the club, for all of us here. He’s such an important part and he’s a big character with big experience for us and we’ll miss him, he’s done a lot of really good things for us.”

Speculation has already begun over whether Everton might activate the reported £50 million purchase option included in Grealish’s loan deal, but Moyes was unwilling to engage in that discussion at this stage. Asked if any decisions could be made so early, the Everton boss replied: “Far too early.”

While Grealish’s long-term future remains unclear, Moyes did confirm that the club is still active in the transfer market as the deadline approaches. Addressing Everton’s recruitment plans, he said: “I'd like to say we're out there looking, which I think I've said in every press conference. We're out there looking. It's not that we're shying away from it. I would say it's probably less than likely than likely".