Jack Grealish injury a “big blow” for Everton, admits David Moyes | OneFootball

Jack Grealish’s injury is a “big blow” for Everton, admits David Moyes. The Manchester City loanee is staring at a lengthy spell on the sidelines for the second half of the season.

Grealish suffered a stress fracture in his foot in the aftermath of the win over Aston Villa. The club is awaiting more information from specialists before establishing the length of his absence.

"It's not for me to give the timescales and we've not had it yet but he's got a stress fracture in his foot – that's all I can tell you,” Moyes said in the pre-match press conference before facing Leeds United.

"It's a big blow because he's been hugely important to us since the start of the season. He's played a big part in the team. Look, we've had a few injuries, but this is a big blow to us."

An operation would be needed to repair the issue if deemed necessary, revealed Moyes. Elaborating on the plan for his rehabilitation, the Everton boss added, "We're in close contact with [parent club] Manchester City, so we'll see how it works as we go along and we get more decisions from the specialist."

The 30-year-old endured a physically challenging outing against his boyhood club at Villa Park, where he was constantly kicked at and fouled by the opposition. While it initially seemed that he might be suffering from a calf injury, conversations about it with the medical staff revealed that he had felt pain in one of his feet.

“He felt it for a couple of weeks. He is a boy who doesn’t want to be injured and he wants to play every game," Moyes added.

"He picked up a calf injury in the game [at Villa], he got a kick in front of the bench. He came in on Monday for treatment. We got it checked and then he went to see the surgeon to get it checked again. That was it. I asked him and he said he’s had it for a wee while, he could just feel it.”