One key ingredient will be missing from Manchester City’s clash with Everton | OneFootball

Manchester City take on Everton this Saturday at the Etihad Stadium. Pep Guardiola’s side will be looking to continue to build on the momentum they’ve built over the past seven matches. City are unbeaten in their past seven games and enter Saturday’s Premier League fixture against David Moyes’ side eager to stretch that run to eight games with a victory. David Moyes’ team is eighth on the Premier League table and will be a tough nut for City to crack on Saturday.

Entering Saturday’s match, one storyline will be missing from the match. Jack Grealish is unable to play in the game at the Etihad due to the Premier League rules, which doesn’t allow an on-loan player to play against their parent club. That is a shame as it would’ve been interesting to see how Grealish performed against Pep Guardiola’s side.

Jack Grealish has had a strong start to the season for Everton.

During the summer transfer window, Jack Grealish secured a loan move to Everton. The England international needed a fresh start after having two tough seasons at Manchester City. To Grealish’s credit, he has made a blistering start to the 25/26 season. In seven matches, he has scored one goal and added four assists. Grealish’s form this season shows that the England international can still perform at the highest level. That has been pleasing to see as Grealish is one of the nice guys in football.

Perhaps playing in a team that doesn’t routinely have to contend with low defensive blocks has brought the best out in Grealish. Playing on the left wing for David Moyes’ side has given Grealish the space he needs to thrive. With space to play in, Grealish has returned to his best. There is a strong argument to be made that he has been Everton’s best player so far this season. The other side of the coin is that there isn’t as much pressure for positions in the Everton squad as at Manchester City. Knowing he will play every week has also given Grealish the confidence to perform at his best. Either way, it has been good to see Jack Grealish playing well this season.

The fact that Jack Grealish cannot play on Saturday removes a major storyline from Saturday’s match.

Unfortunately, due to the Premier League rules, Jack Grealish cannot play against Manchester City on Saturday. Premier League rules state that an on-loan player cannot play against their parent club. Due to this, Grealish is unavailable for Everton this weekend. That is a shame, considering how fascinating it would have been to see Grealish play against Pep Guardiola’s side while he is in such strong form. That won’t occur this weekend, which takes a major storyline away from this weekend’s match at the Etihad Stadium.

The day will come when Jack Grealish plays against Manchester City. It just won’t occur this Saturday at the Etihad. That is a shame, as one interesting subplot is eliminated from Saturday’s Premier League fixture. Perhaps the day will come the Premier League will allow on-loan players to play against their parent clubs. But it won’t arrive this weekend so Jack Grealish’s return to the Etihad to play against Manchester City will have to wait.