Grealish could have been Everton’s poster boy of a new era. Now his career is in limbo

For the biggest game in Manchester City’s history, Jack Grealish was given a starting berth while Phil Foden, Julián Alvarez and Riyad Mahrez were on the bench. Grealish played the full 90 minutes of the Champions League triumph against Inter because Pep Guardiola had the greatest faith in the attacking midfielder, but three years on he is at risk of being yesterday’s man.

That trust dwindled, not helped by injuries, and Grealish made only 17 Premier League starts over the next two seasons under Guardiola. City wanted him to leave in the summer of 2025, and Everton provided the solution, taking him on loan and borrowing him again for this season. Six Everton appearances into this campaign he was left out of the squad for Thursday’s Carabao Cup win against Newcastle after missing training on Monday. Everton went public with the fact that there had been “a breach of club discipline”.

Related: Everton drop Jack Grealish from Carabao Cup tie over ‘breach of club discipline’

Grealish is 31 and has 39 England caps. He is supposed to be a senior player but his career has involved far too many indiscretions. Breaking lockdown rules, a driving ban and more than once becoming a viral sensation for being pictured inebriated out and about have painted an unwanted picture. Learning from mistakes is part of life but Grealish’s indiscipline is apparently not dwindling with age. Guardiola warned him over his behaviour, dropping him in 2021 for a match against Newcastle after he and Foden arrived for training worse for wear.

Grealish is aware of his flaws, which is a starting point, but dealing with them is a separate matter. “People go: ‘He likes to go out, he likes to party,’ and I do,” Grealish told Sky Sports last year. “I want to be able to live my life and enjoy myself but obviously there’s a time and a place to do that. Sometimes, I’ll be honest with you, I probably haven’t picked the right times.”

Initially at Everton it seemed Grealish could be the poster boy of a new era. There were winners against Crystal Palace and Bournemouth by early December of last year and he had accumulated six assists in 20 Premier League appearances before his season was ended in mid-January by a foot injury. Grealish had been inconsistent, though. He has not played more than 28 league games in a season since 2019-20 at Aston Villa, which should concern him.

There were reservations at Everton about taking Grealish back this summer but Iliman Ndiaye’s sale to City made it a pragmatic move to fill the void. Grealish had carried out pre-season under Enzo Maresca, who gave him chances in the Community Shield and on the opening day against Bournemouth. The Italian had time for him but the unlikely redemption arc at City was soon quashed. Maresca showed affection for Grealish on Friday, saying: “I still think that he’s a good boy, big heart.”

At his best, Grealish is a wonderful player, a carefree spirit when dribbling with his socks around his ankles. In full flow, he gets fans up off their seats, makes and takes goalscoring chances and forces opponents to foul him, but those moments have been fleeting for far too long. The next seven months are crucial to Grealish’s career; he is at an age where he could play at the top for years but his status is declining rapidly. He is a £100m City signing and treble winner but those are past glories. Grealish needs to prove he has the respect for himself and for Everton to want more.

Grealish’s contract at City concludes at the end of the season, so there is plenty of incentive for him to show he is capable of shining in the Premier League and inspiring Everton to the cup win they crave. Instead, his career is in limbo. David Moyes was terse on the subject of Grealish on Thursday and seems unlikely to recommend keeping him beyond his loan. The Everton manager is working with a very small squad, so losing a senior player for avoidable reasons will surely frustrate and irritate him.

In an industry where the public is kept at arm’s length, Grealish is very approachable, happy to sign autographs for longer than his peers, eager to do the charity elements that come with playing for major clubs and known for his personal touch when others are businesslike. When entering and leaving Hill Dickinson Stadium, Grealish is mobbed, such is his popularity. He embraces it, posing for selfies with anyone who demands one, channelling a lot of positive energy into others, but he needs to find the self-awareness to do the same for himself.

“With me, I’m a big confidence player – I want to feel loved,” Grealish once said. He will not be feeling that from Moyes any time soon without radical change.