At 31, it's now a case of what you see from Jack Grealish is what you get. There'll be no turning of new leaves. No clean slates. Nor fresh starts. This is Jack. The holder of three Premier League winner medals. A Champions League winner. As good a natural talent that England have produced this century. But a talent with a personality. A maverick. And one who lives by his own set of rules. Which is the challenge that now confronts David Moyes.
As we say, Grealish missing last Tuesday's training session was simply one of those things with Jack. After failing to make the previous weekend's clash at Arsenal due to illness, we hear that Grealish didn't front up for the Tuesday session. The action was swift. A fine and then dropped for Thursday's Carabao Cup tie with Newcastle United - a tie won handsomely in Grealish's absence.
Everton, to be fair, have played this one pretty tight. There's been no leaks from staff. Indeed, the only word we have on the whole affair is a couple of lines from Moyes, “It was a club decision. I support the decision. It's something I don't really want to speak too much about. I'm not going to give any details,” and that's been pretty much it. Those close to the club say management were "forced" to act as Tuesday's absence wasn't the first in recent times of Grealish breaching set rules, though with no details to back that up.
So instead, to fill the vacuum, cue the hand-wringers. The scribes have been relentless. Grealish has let Moyes down. The club. The fans. He'll never learn. On and on they go. And for those Evertonians upset with all this, we get it. But we also know there'll be a huge Hill Dickinson roar for the midfielder when he returns.
Grealish is one of the good 'uns. Indeed, for this column, he's one of the best. A great player, an entertainer, sure. But an even greater man. Someone who uses his position and resources to help those less fortunate. A man who actually thrives in this role. Don't take this column's word for it, simply go to YouTube or X and plug in 'Jack Grealish' and 'fans' and you'll have all the evidence you need of the type of man Everton's No10 is. This is your Premier League role-model. This is how you want your Premier League stars to interact with supporters. And it's all genuine. Grealish is someone who is as happy to see and meet you, as you are him. There's no PR dolly behind this, it's all natural.
Indeed, while there'll be some amongst the Everton support unhappy with events, this column would argue they should reflect on what it says about their club that someone of Grealish's character would push so hard to return this season. While working his way back from that foot injury last term, Grealish could easily have cut ties and completed his rehab at the Etihad Campus. Yet instead, he chose to remain at Finch Farm. Grealish actually felt his body better served by being in and around the Everton environment. Such things shouldn't be discounted.
For this column, the most frustrating (though also predictable) aspect of this saga has been the reaction not just from the scribes, but also the pundits. The ex-pros. It's been attack, attack, attack. The very same people who would wail and criticise their equivalents from a past era for not protecting or being too harsh on a George Best or Paul Gascoigne, are now throwing every accusation - no matter how tenuous - at Grealish. These ex-pros know Jack. Or they know people who are close to him. They know his character. His personality. His incredible generosity and goodwill. Yet their criticism of the player has been very much one-dimensional.
With Everton to again meet Newcastle in the league on Monday night, the scrutiny on Moyes' team selection will be intense. Does he recall Grealish - or keep him sidelined? And if Grealish is again absent, what will the media reaction be? Of course, the player has done his manager no favours. We know this. But at 63, Moyes has seen it all. The Scot will know how to navigate this storm.
But what of the future? Along with his Everton loan, Grealish's contract at Manchester City runs out in June. And after last week, there's even calls for the Toffees to cancel Grealish's deal immediately and send him back to the Etihad.
A waste? A gamble gone wrong? Perhaps. However, this could be a great late career challenge for Moyes. You can be sure conversations between player and manager will have been held. Not just in recent days, but over the course of their time together at Everton. Moyes rates Grealish highly - and the feeling from the player is mutual. This column would urge the Scot to view his senior midfielder as a challenge. Similar to Sir Alex Ferguson and Eric Cantona post-Selhurst Park.
There's no doubting that Grealish is the most talented player on Everton's books. A player with a personality that knits not just a dressing room, but a club together. He lights up the place. Teammates, fans, but also staff - he lifts everyone around him. A Grealish operating at full throttle on the pitch would be just as valuable - if not more so - for the spirit and morale inside the club.
“I’m getting too old to be sitting around at the bottom end," Moyes said earlier this season. "I want to win, I want us to be competing, and I want us to get to Wembley and touch silverware.”
The question - and challenge - for Moyes is, can he reach that silverware target quicker by dumping Grealish or backing him? This column would argue the latter.
Sure, management is about trophies. But it's also about people. About guiding them. It would be a different triumph, but a thriving Grealish at the Hill Dickinson, at 32, 33, 34 years of age, leading the club into a new era - it would be perhaps as big a success story for Moyes as his Conference League triumph with West Ham.
Grealish did wrong, sure. But we all stumble. For the all he good he does. For that promise of what he still offers as a player. It's really now on David Moyes to dig deep and find a way to make this relationship work.