Everton returned for pre-season testing last week, with new signings Hayden Hackney and Tyrique George part of a smaller group that will travel to Scotland and ramp up preparations for Saturday’s first friendly of the summer against Dundee.One figure who was conspicuous in his absence, though, was Jack Grealish. The England international was instead pictured on a training bike at Manchester City, with his loan move having expired at the start of the month.After sustaining a foot injury in January that kept him out for the rest of the season, Grealish stayed at Everton for the first part of his rehabilitation and returned over the summer for more treatment and some light training on the practice pitches. His move seemed to suit all parties, with the 30-year-old having enjoyed his time on Merseyside and Everton keen to explore a deal to bring him back in time for the new season.Premier League rules prohibit Grealish from returning to Everton for training until a deal can be struck, and the sight of him in City colours again brought his situation into focus once more.
Everton would be interested in a deal for Grealish on the right terms. There remains a sense at the club that he made a difference, both technically and mentally, to the squad before his injury; that a combination of his ability to hold the ball and make his team-mates believe they could go to big grounds and win helped catapult David Moyes’ side into European contention. And that his injury severely hampered their chances in the second half of the campaign.But the move would need to make sense financially for the Merseyside club. Grealish is now in his final 12 months as a City player. He will turn 31 in September and earns close to £15million a year, with Everton having subsidised around three-quarters of that salary during his loan stint. The outlay is considerable for a player of his age, whose truly best years may well be behind him.
