Jack Grealish might face serious consequences after missing Everton training, following what David Moyes did in a similar situation.
Jack Grealish might face different punishments after being left out of Everton’s squad for their Carabao Cup win over Newcastle because of a “breach of club discipline.”
Grealish, who is on loan at Everton from Manchester City for the second season in a row, was left out by manager David Moyes after not following the club’s rules. Reports say he missed training without telling anyone beforehand.
Even without him, Everton comfortably beat Newcastle, thanks to goals from James Garner, Hayden Hackney, and Thierno Barry. This win puts them through to the quarter-final against Fleetwood Town from League Two.
After the game, Moyes didn’t share many details about what Grealish did.
“It was a club decision. I support it and don’t want to talk much about it,” he said.
He added, “Everton stands for strong values. All the players accept and live by those values on and off the field. Tonight, the players did a fantastic job.”
Grealish had also missed Everton’s loss to Arsenal last weekend, and it’s still unclear if he will be back for Monday’s match at Newcastle.
One likely punishment could be a fine, but that might not bother Grealish much since he reportedly earns £300,000 a week.
Moyes has a history of being tough on players who break rules. During his first time managing Everton (2002-2013), he suspended winger Andy van der Meyde in 2007 for breaking club rules and gave him the highest fine possible. In 2012, when Royston Drenthe arrived late for training, Moyes sent him home and told him to stay away just days before an important FA Cup semi-final.
In 2009, Moyes left defender Joleon Lescott out of a Europa League game because his attitude disappointed the team. Moyes has also made players train alone as punishment. For example, in 2012, Marouane Fellaini was fined two weeks’ pay and had to train solo with Moyes after a headbutt incident. Fellaini later said it was tough but he understood because he had made a mistake.
One of Moyes’ strongest actions came in January 2010 when he sent Brazilian striker Jô back to Manchester City after Jô missed training and went to Rio without permission. Moyes explained that after giving Jô another chance, he didn’t come back to training again, so Moyes decided enough was enough.
Moyes clearly values discipline and expects all his players to follow the rules for the good of the team.