Enzo Maresca has done little to shut the door on Jack Grealish. He said, "At the moment, he's here. He's a Man City player," and added that he will coach him while City decide what happens next. Grealish is still recovering from a season-ending foot injury suffered in January during his loan spell at Everton, and he was left out of Manchester City's 28-man squad for the pre-season tour of Asia.

Maresca's view on Grealish

Maresca's line was clear enough. "Jack is here. I have a good relationship with Jack since I left," he said, before adding that they keep in touch and that City will be the ones to decide his future. That does not sound like a player being pushed out of the building. It sounds like a manager leaving the situation open while he works with what he has.

The context around City is not clean. They are shown 15th in the current Premier League standings in the supplied data, and the squad conversation is happening against that backdrop. Grealish remains a Manchester City player for now, and Maresca's comments back that up more than they close anything off.

Everton still want another look

Everton spent last season with Grealish on loan and have not hidden their interest in bringing him back. David Moyes said, "Obviously we like Jack a lot," and noted that Everton had looked after him through the injury. He also made the basic point that matters here, City still own the player.

The deal shape is the issue. Everton would need Manchester City's help if they wanted a second loan or a permanent move with wages subsidised. City were quoted at £50million for him last summer, but there is no verified suggestion here that Everton have activated anything or that a permanent deal is done.

Grealish's own numbers at Everton help explain why the interest has stayed alive. He scored twice and registered six assists in 22 appearances across all competitions, and he completed 360 minutes across his last five recorded matches, including three full 90-minute outings. He also had a 6.9 rating in his last recorded Everton match against Aston Villa.

The picture is still open, with Al-Hilal Saudi FC part of the wider interest around him and Everton waiting to see whether City will sanction any move. For now, Grealish is back at City, still in recovery, and still a player both clubs are talking about rather than one they have finished talking over.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 5 outlets. How we work →