Grealish was omitted from Thursday’s 3-1 victory at Hill Dickinson Stadium after Everton confirmed he was unavailable because of a breach of club discipline. Reports said the 31-year-old had missed a training session without permission earlier in the week.
Everton manager David Moyes called the omission a club decision and said he supported it, but refused to provide further details. His comments left uncertainty over whether Grealish would be considered for Monday’s Premier League meeting with Newcastle.
Maresca, who worked with Grealish at Manchester City, was asked about the situation during his press conference on Friday. The City manager said he did not have enough information to discuss the circumstances and emphasised that Grealish is currently an Everton player.
“It is not right to talk about Jack at this moment, first of all because he is an Everton player. And secondly, I do not have all the information about the situation.”
The Italian nevertheless made clear that his personal opinion of the winger had not changed.
“But I still think he is a good guy, a good boy, with a big heart,” Maresca said.
Grealish is spending a second successive season on loan at Everton from Manchester City. His current agreement runs until the end of June 2027, although his City contract is due to expire at the end of this season, leaving his longer-term future uncertain.
The winger had been expected to return to Everton’s squad after missing the Premier League defeat at Arsenal through illness, but the disciplinary issue instead ruled him out of the cup tie. Everton progressed without him, with goals from James Garner, Hayden Hackney and Thierno Barry securing a 3-1 win and a place in the quarter-finals.
Moyes has not confirmed whether Grealish will be available for the league rematch with Newcastle. Maresca also avoided offering an assessment of the incident, limiting his comments to the fact that he does not know the full circumstances and retains a positive view of the player.
The situation therefore remains an Everton matter, with the club yet to provide further details about the breach or the next steps in its internal process.