Jack Grealish expected to be out for 3 months with foot injury

No word on the extent or how long he might be out.

McNeil out left or or a wide man needed quickly on loan.

It reminds me of "If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball", presumably this is more on the lines of "If you can jump off a 10 metre diving board (blindfold) onto irregular lumps of concrete, you can run onto the pitch".

And presumably physiotherapy consists of fast violent twisting of the knees using weights.

Everton seem to have the most training-induced injuries followed by the longest recovery periods of any club I can think of.

The attacker will be seen by a specialist in the coming days, after which his prognosis will become clearer'

- David Ornstein | The Athletic.

Just news emerges, 'Yeah, he's out for the season'. Just like Jarrad, Calvert-Lewin, Ndiaye and all the rest.

Mcneil gets the nod again then, hope Ndiaye is raring to go then.

If it's season long then it's got to force them in to the market, a loan maybe?

As the season goes deeper, the chances are we will get more injuries & suspensions, so the need for reinforcements is real.

Didn't even mention Alcaraz. Sounds like a bit to go yet... we need reinforcements.

Everton midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has stepped up his workload in training and is recovering well from a hamstring injury sustained at Stamford Bridge in December 🔵 (El Bobble)

Armstrong besides them, an improving Barry up front and Garner and Guye in front of the back four.

Always the best players and always months, never just a week or so.

The summation was Everton supporters are never allowed to experience lasting happiness.

I think that sums it up.

As I reported elsewhere on this site, over the last 38 fixtures we are 6th, 2 points behind Chelsea. You know full well

- we will finish 6th, level on points with the team who are 5th, and lose out on 5th because of goal difference or even worse, goals scored

- we will finish 5th but 26-27 will be the season where England only gets 4 Champions League places not the 5 they got this season because those in Europe did not perform as well as last seasons

- Trump invades Greenland and European teams boycott the World Cup except for England who see a chance and so UEFA bans us again.

We all know they try to soften the blow when announcing these things, same as the Dewsbury-Hall "see you soon" tweet.

Our players seem to turn weeks into a year out.

Hope that's not the last time we see Jack.

8 assists and 2 goals, thats the violent wild shites compared to the rest of the constipated fuckers

Still our most creative player and constantly draws two or more players to him when he has the ball, creating space for team mates, having the ability and intelligence to keep hold of the ball and release it.

Sometimes you don't have to run around like scalded cat to look impressive.

He'll be missed

Could always try Aznou on the left though, something different and unexpected

Aaaaand you're back in the room when I snap my fingers - snap!

Yes, the reported injury is bad news for him, but more for him than us I suggest.

Very good at his peak admittedly (thinking Villa here, a few years ago now) but he's always been a wide boy in more ways than one.

The utterly corrupt City want £50mill to be rid of him. I very much doubt there'll be a queue at that price.

I don't believe our club is close to readily take part in any Europe competition so I hope that for the remainder of the season Moyes, if he wants to win another contract for himself, is gutsy enough to tell Friedkin that he'll now be focusing on the likes of Dibling, Armstrong, Rohl, to develop them as first choice next season.

Yes, the reported injury is bad news for him, but more for him than us I suggest.

Very good at his peak admittedly (thinking Villa here, a few years ago now) but he's always been a wide boy in more ways than one.

The utterly corrupt City want £50mill to be rid of him. I very much doubt there'll be a queue at that price.

I don't believe our club is close to readily take part in any Europe competition next season so I hope that for the remainder of this season Moyes, if he wants to win another contract for himself, is gutsy enough to tell Friedkin that he'll now be focusing on the likes of Dibling, Armstrong, Rohl, and other youngsters to develop them as potentially first choice next season.

JG do not get photographed getting pissed with the lads over the next few weeks.

Also, this news only reminds me of how desperately we need new faces this window and I have no doubt that our crack recruitment team will sort it out for us.

OK, so it we substitute Mike Gaynes and TFG it would look a little like this:

'Mike Gaynes seems to have extraordinary insider information on TFG. He constantly tells us what TFG will do next and what super owners they are. You could be forgiven for thinking he is on their payroll. Remarkable insight'.

Rich, Mr. Gaynes, rich.

(One notable exception: I said they would never consider hiring Moyes last winter. Oops. Mea culpa.)

No insider information from me, just a whole lot of research on TFG and an understanding of how American business works. Happy to share.

And as my fixated friend's pliable integrity slips once again to invent things I didn't say... I have never once complimented TFG on their ownership, "super" or otherwise. (In fact, my only opinionated comment has been to criticize the Moyes hire. Oops again.)

I have of course expressed my total delight at having the wealthiest owner in Everton history, and one with a flawless business reputation (as well as being American and Jewish, which being both I enjoy immensely). Am I cheering him on with all my heart and lungs? You bet I am. And I wonder why every Evertonian wouldn't do the same.

Rich indeed.

Sad news indeed. Very few one club players these days. Fewer still very very good ones. RIP

So, where to begin?

Untruth 1: 'I have never once complimented TFG on their ownership'. Pretty breathtaking. I won't supply contrasting evidence and views from other posters as they are obvious but will be happy to do so.

Accusing others of 'invention'.

'It wasn't Everton fan discontent that saw off our old board, it was the new ownership'.

Like Dan the man, these owners do not go the match: including LOL Arsenal and Newcastle.

Number of games won with JT/MK at the back deliberately inflated in a sad attempt to make a point stronger.

The line up and plan had no impact on a match

'Guarantee' Dan is falling for us: asked by many for evidence, never given, never replied.

A player's erm 'circumstances' should have no impact on his evaluation/rating

Keane had a visible mark on this face after the final whistle after Gana's slap.

DCL never scored a great goal for us (recommend anyone to go back to this thread).

Beto will become a top player.

This is from memory there will be more. The claim that he does not

compliment - I'll say back completely bordering on brown-nosing - TFG is truly breathtaking. I spat my coffee out. The dog was going nuts.

Whether it's TFG or anything else your record on here Mr. Conceited is nowhere near as good as you think.

The nub of the matter - you once said this yourself - is that you do not like to be questioned, contradicted, corrected. Right?

Fixated! You're a near septugenarian FFS!

,

One flat-out lie must be pointed out: I have NEVER said that I do not like to be questioned, contradicted, corrected. That line was authored by someone else, not me. I LOVE debate. Honest debate, not flailing venom empty of integrity. (At least my fan hasn't repeated the sexual emission comment from the other night.)

Even casual readers will note that the OCD-generated list at #37 contains disagreements with my long-ago opinions and old failed predictions (I'm never afraid to nail my colors to the mast, right or wrong, but how fixated do you have to be to actually collect this stuff???) but not one factual word contradicting anything in my post at #35. As he confesses, no evidence that I haven't been mostly right about TFG.

And of course my final musing hangs in the air -- why wouldn't any and every Evertonian support the new ownership at this point and have hope for success? Why?

For the Man CIty game, which he was ineligible for, he nipped over to Dubai for a few beers in an Irish pub in Jumeriah. An absolute legend, well behaved (relatively) - eg. posing for photos etc. buying lunches for people. But then when he pased out drunk on a bench, a local fixer came in to carry him back to his hotel.

It's up to him - he's not breaking any laws. But career-wise I don't think he's going to be playing at a top level for a long time. I felt much the same when Rooney returned to us. Compared with someone like Cristiano Ronaldo, who by looking after himself and eschewing the party lifestyle, has prolonged his career at a high level up to the age of 40 (I do think he's a bit of a freak on that).

Whether City want £50m or not for him, with his wage requirements etc. I don't think Everton should be signing him after the loan - and I thought that even before this unfortunate injury.

Good opportunity for Dwight McNeil to show he can refind his form in his preferred position.

That's fine.

' I have NEVER said that I do not like to be questioned, contradicted, corrected. That line was authored by someone else, not me'.

Gosh, golly, why on earth would someone write that? My clear recollection, every bit as good as yours sir and I have nothing to hide, probably better, is that you did say this, just like I got everything else right in my list at 37.

GO TFG!

He might even have played his last game for us if it is indeed 'months'. That would be sad, but the only way he will be with us next season will be an extended loan, however unlikely that might be.

If he leaves the barber chair behind he has a chance to have a two or three more good years. But I'm starting to realise now, a lot of us in August were expressing disbelief that Grealish was joining us when in fact the truth of the matter was that he was made up to be joining us, a last-chance saloon.

Those doubting Grealish will be sent back in time to this time last season, minus jack Harrison lol.

Dibbling plays on the right so can play as well as McNeil on the left, irrespective of Grealish's injury.

He says he's happy at Everton which is great. He would say that because when he's fit, he's first choice on the left. I imagine he doesn't feel under pressure as his place is mostly 'guaranteed'. At City, that wasn't the picture.

On another note, I haven't been to the new stadium yet so can't imagine what it's like or whether it feels 'home' yet for the players. Whilst it looks magnificent and the design was done in a way to keep the sound in and to try to replicate the Goodison noise, I expect it's great for the opposition to play in too and may not have the intimidating nature of Goodison yet. I suppose we just need to get to a point when our team becomes unplayable at our new ground and at away grounds too...

I remember some opposition teams turning up at the new Wembley and generally saying how great it was to play there as opposed to the old Wembley.

Some like him,some don't.

Imo he will be missed.

Unless Ndiaye is shifted across, I think we will miss Grealish a lot.

Whatevs.

Isn’t this what we have a squad for? I expect McNeill will get the nod before Dibling and Ndiaye will continue on the right but maybe Moyes will see it differently. I’m curious to see what impact this has on us.

Unlucky for Jack, good player and hope he recovers asap, but an opportunity for others to shine.

have all had a number of players out injured this season.

Whats different with the above, they have large squads of players, Everton don t, so we feel it more on the park

Arsenal, Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea etc have all had a number of players out injured this season.

What's different with the above is they have large squads of players; Everton don't, so we feel it more on the park.

What is also surprising is out of all the 55 posts there are only 2 who suggest Dibling may make a start in his place. A player we spent £30-£40M and very few think he would be a possible replacement for Grealish.

As for those who peddle the theory he was bought for the future, well Everton are not a club at present who can make their record summer signing one for the future -- we need here and now for that price.

Please tell me TFG have no allegiance or support for that demented crackpot you lot have in charge over there?

He'd be a good signing and has goals in him.

Ndiaye could play on the left with Dibling on the right but I think we all know that McNiel will be on the left and Ndiaye on the right.

I'd like to see Aznou get a chance on the left coming off the bench a bit earlier than the 88th minute, we will definitely miss Grealish, I'm gutted.

If the club is going to be successful, the question should be: Why don't we have more players who can do what Grealish can do?

Brentford at home, cross for Barry in the last minute, immaterial yes but nonetheless an assist.

Regardless of what anyone says about Grealish he does take 2 players out of the opposition game plan all the time, also gets kicked from pillar to post mostly unpunished, big loss as far as I'm concerned.

The good thing is there's plenty of time in this window to go and get a replacement.

Chris (28):Yes you are right two assists v Brentford with the second one a very good after he had moved over to the right of the field beating a couple of men in a tight area and passing the ball for Barry to nod home. I have asked many times on here why hasn’t Grealish moved around the field instead of clinging to the left touchline which he does. I don’t like to see players out with injury but I don’t think we will miss him that much, mind you it leaves us another man down and he would have been very useful coming off the bench and getting us those professional fouls he does so well and earn us precious minutes near the end of games. I also know some fouls were bad tackles.

As you say, Grealish is always wide left and you ask: Why doesn't he move around the pitch?

But if you look at Saka, Salah, Bowen, Doku and many other wide players, they all stay wide. I guess its the modern game.

I would also imagine why they don't move around the field is, as much as it may confuse the opposition, it would also mess up the shape of the team if players keep moving out of position. The wide players these days don't normally swap wings either which they used to do.

Dave, I just think this is the modern way now, maybe we would both like to see more movement but I don't see too many teams doing that.

Amazing innovative manager but you'll never see 4-4-2 again with two strikers both scoring double figures.

Grealish has double the amount of goal assists than any other Everton player this season.

Grealish is third out of the whole league for goal assists this season.

Yet we won't miss him that much?

I think they create a lot more and Bowen does it consistently in a team worse than Everton. Doko has his share of goals and assists. The one thing they all do that Jack can't is take a man on the outside and go past him, he hasn't got the pace.

What I should have said is, maybe Dibling will get a run on the right side, with Ndiaye switching back to the left.

But I suspect Moyes will leave Ndiaye right and use McNeil on the left. McNeil did play well in the Villa game.

It'd be madness not to at least get someone in.

Hopefully McNeil will take his chance and add to his 0 goals and 1 assist this season.

Sure we will be fine.

He uses the ball well, rarely gives it away. Provides an outlet who can retain the ball, move us up the pitch. Draws fouls. Moreover, he has that elite player confidence and self-assuredness that adds a difference to our team that I think others feed off.

Despite his age and loss of pace, there are still a lot of positives. If he has a broken foot, then we likely will not see him again this season. Big decision to be made thereafter… need a much reduced fee, and acceptance of lower wage.

To me, he relieves pressure on the defence, rarely gives the ball away, works hard and tracks back, keeps 2 opposing players occupied, sets up goals and chances.

Ndiaye prefers to play on the left so I reckon he will slot back in there, with McNeil on the right and cameo performances from Dibling until he improves.

As an aside and following our bad luck theme -- Moshiri and Usmanov were screwed when Putin invaded Ukraine and the sanctions hit, will our American owners be hit by something similar should the mango Mussolini invade Greenland?

We'll definitely miss him, he never loses the ball, constantly fouled, and makes extra space for his teammates. He'll probably go back to Man City now for rehab, that gets his wages off the payroll.

We're rumoured to be after Wilson, worth a try?

This could horribly derail our season. Gutted.

They have large squads of players; Everton don't.

I've often puzzled over this oft-repeated claim, given that each Premier League club is limited to a squad of 25 named and registered players. So how do they do it?

Okay, Everton only have 24 at the moment. Yes, they can call upon any number of U21 players, but that doesn't help us much. So how do these other clubs operate such big squads?

Curious as to what McNeil's one assist was.

From the games I've watched, I would consider he has at least 3 assists alone in the last month.

A change of shape may be required to get around this one.

My eyes will always tell me how good a player is, not stats, and watching Jack Grealish since he came, he hasn't impressed me that much, so I won't miss him very much.

You think very highly of him, so fair enough, you will miss him a lot more than me. So, with it being, possibly, a straight swap, Ndiaye for Grealish, I won't miss him at all except we are another man down.

Let's see who we bring in besides the essential full-back and striker.

I am actually sceptical of where the 1 assist came from.

If Jack Grealish had made that pass, you wouldn't be so sceptical of that assist.

You mean a change in the shape of McNeil's legs, they seemed to get him around the pitch very well v Villa and in plenty of games in the last few seasons when he was played regularly.

Moyes has hardly played him at all this season but it looks like he has shaken that rustiness off him and, now that Grealish is injured, Moyes will be glad he has McNeil in the squad. I know I am.

We'll miss him.

We will also need now to get something through the door this window, there can be no questions on that, McNeil left is not the answer, nor is he on the right.

Hahaha

Like it.

We'll miss having him on the pitch but this puts paid to City thinking they'll get anywhere close to £50M for him.

Chance for Dibling and McNeil to step up. Fortunately Ndiaye is back.

Really it is not good news, any way you look at it.

I have heard of no-one from the Under-21s who is anywhere near ready for the first team.

If the prognosis is bad, can we de-register Grealish as a loan and then get another player in on loan this window?

Who's crocked next? Garner must be favorite, with Ndiaye a close second.

I think your last word in your comment is very apt unfortunately regarding Grealish. I was chuffed we signed him on loan but, when the fee was revealed, I went off him.

He slows our game down too much and cuts back in too often. Okay, he has a couple of goals and some assists but his head is screwed up for a professional footballer.

Who is paying his wages while he is off injured? If it's us, send him back and consider a loan option for next season on a pay-as-you-play basis.

I hope you and Mike Gaynes are keeping well. Looking for the kiss and make up! 😂😂

While I like Grealish, I don't think a £50M transfer fee should even be considered; £10M-15M at best.

It might be interesting to see if Ndiaye and/or Dibling can play the same role or indeed just play both as wingers.

BBC haven't even reported this. If he was Liverpool, it would be the headline.

I put this story under possible chip paper until we get the specialist report via Everton. Any time frame for an injury is pure speculation at this present time. That said, foot injuries aren't quick fixes and his season could be over.

Should this be the case, then I am sure every supporter is really sorry for Jack Grealish and it's a blow for the fans who love to watch him and his effect on the team.

It isn't like we don't have anyone to play left wing. And it isn't like some of us would not want to see a different style or pace for left-wing play.

Trams were figuring out how to just slow Jack down and prevent a break to the box. Perhaps Ndiaye can shake that up.

I'd love to see Aznou given a go on the left, or at least some decent minutes. Moyes obviously doesn't think he can do a better job at left-back than Mykolenko, so why not use his pace and enthusiasm further forward?

I remember a young full back in the making starting out on the wing, making an impact, using his pace and youthful enthusiasm to learn the ways of the Premier League...

It worked out well for Seamus!

On MG, no comment. Keep well.

The only player I can compare Grealish to that we have had in the last 30 years is Peter Beardsley

Beardsley left us in 1993 PH.

Moving on for the remainder of the season, it will be a plus getting back some of the missing players and hopefully they can get enough points to finish the season well.

So it would be nice to see some of our young blood step up to the plate.

If it was another Man City player, we'd have to terminate the Grealish loan, as it's one per club.

If Grealish signs, he would be our highest-paid player. The idea of a play-as-you-pay deal, is never going to happen. The wage would be near Pickford's.

We are never paying big money for him. The fee will be £15-20M, and would probably cover his last year of contract.

I think we will sign him.

Pace would be nice, but we can only be so choosy. He's clearly a cut above everyone else we have save Ndiaye. All this is reflected in the assists, which are something we've been lacking for years.

The only possible positive way to spin this is that it either gets Dibling playing time to prove himself or, if it's McNeil instead, that he plays well enough to fetch us £15Mn in the summer.

Also, some scenario whereby Jack Grealish getting injured lowers his price tag and he comes back to us next season in the £15-20M range and hugely reduced wages. But I still expect he goes to Saudi where they'll pay 3 times that for him.

I'll be in the minority here in continuing to hope we stay put and don't buy anyone this window. A loan or two, maybe. But we're safe, our chances for Europe are small, and an overpay that doesn't move the needle much hurts us long term.

I recognize our limitations as much as everyone else, but I think we have to err on the side of saving our money right now, assuming it's not limitless due to Premier League financial restrictions.

That may be tempting fate, Jim. Transfer window is still open…. oh, we are okay, Jack Harrison has gone on loan to Fiorentina.

Tyler looks raw when he plays but he goes the right way with the bloody ball and I would persist with him for a few games.

Alcaraz is great too and his effort is always 100%.

My concern would be if we got into Europe without adding to the existing squad with quality players. So, with that in mind, I think like you, unless we can sign quality in this window, I would save our money till the summer.

On Grealish, I do think we will miss him but I wouldn't be forking out £50M for him. Man City paid £62.5M for 26-year-old Semenyo.

Maybe, if we do get into Europe, we could attract players of his calibre.

But, if we want to buy better players, wouldn't the carrot of some form of European football be a bigger draw? Most players these days seem to want regular European football.

I can understand the argument that our current squad isn't built for that... but how do we entice better quality if all we have to offer is a season-long Premier League treat, accompanied by early cup exits?

It may mean we need to splurge more than intended, should we actually qualify for Europe, but surely that would give us a bigger pool to fish from?

Because without the lure of European nights, I don't see what we have to offer better players. Of course we might well qualify with the current squad. But that possibility would be enhanced with a couple of players added to the squad.

The ‘draw' for players will depend on whether they think there is a clear upwards trajectory, the possibility of boosting their own profile, and how much we are forking out compared to their other prospective employers.

Unless we do the equivalent of winning the recruitment lottery in the next few weeks, I doubt the results for the rest of this season would significantly affect who we are attracting in the summer.

So sad for all of us: no World Cup for Jack, no Jack for us, the club has to do an inordinate amount of reconfiguring. Everyone loses.

TFG need to be impeached if they do not get us two to three players in what remains of the window. I remember someone known for his unequivocal saccharine backing for TFG trying to be sarky smart on Day 1 of the window, worrying where the deals were. Well, lad, ain't funny anymore, is it?

I base my feelings about our chances at Europe being slim based on looking at our squad and the squads of those around us, and my eye test plus the standings show that we're about 10th best in the league.

The Top 9 right now plus Spurs have much better squads than we do, and I wouldn't be surprised if any of Brighton, Palace and Fulham finish ahead of us. Sure we could've won a few that we didn't, we also could've easily lost several that we won or drew. But other teams would say the same.

We have two lower-table full-backs, aging and slow centre-backs until O'Brien and Branthwaite bed in, about an 8th-best midfield when healthy... but the less said about our strikers, the better.

My point being I think we're further from European places than things look, so there are no quick fixes. Plus the idea that we're not prepared to play added fixtures next season, nevermind in the Europa Conference League.

Add it up and I think we'd be foolish to spend big right now. Much progress has been made this season, but I'm not getting carried away. As always with my Evertonian pessimism, I hope I'm proven wrong.

Impeached, Paul @110? I'm not showering TFG with praise, but they have not put their foot all that wrong since they came in. Plus they may have literally saved our club. Can we wait until things are more dire before calling for their heads?

You, too, Jonathon.

Anyhow, we don't yet truly know the extent of Grealish's injury. Just 'cos one guy of the press decides to shit scare us, it doesn't mean for sure that he will be out for so long. If it is that bad, up step Tyler Dibling. Sure he has it in him. We just haven't seen it in an Everton jersey yet.

As you might guess, I dislike negativity. So UTFT!!!! Let the sunshine in!

On PSR, Man City and the Premier League must be nearing competing for the longest run with Coronation Street and The Mousetrap, the big rats seem to get away with or write their own rules.

Perhaps it might be better to put it like this, that they will have to come out of the mute shadows where they usually reside with explanations if two or three players are not brought in this window.

How reassuring. That's fixed that then. All's good. Dibling or Dibbs it is then, even though we have yet to see anything from him in an Everton shirt yet, according to the poster and so we must grasp the thin falling flakes of erm being 'positive' with no other guarantee.

He's contributed to many goals and his knack of getting fouls is just brilliant. He's a luxury worth having all day long.

If we end up paying any part of the salary into May and he is out for most of the rest of the season, he will be a very costly adventure without equal returns.

Not as exciting as James who scored more goals, but a genuine lift and breath of fresh air.

'Many goals' is, quite frankly, pushing it. Agree about drawing fouls and keeping the ball. I'm glad he joined and hope he gets to play again, but he's not even our most important player.

You never know, this might lead to a cut-price deal in the summer. £15-20M for a top player who's got a clear affinity for the club and would be ready to hit the ground running come August would be no-brainer.

In the meantime, we have Dewsbury-Hall returning along with the lads from Afcon, not to mention an underutilised Tyler Dibling.

This season is over. Let's give as much time on the pitch as we can to players who are in the frame for the long term. That includes Armstrong. And it includes looking ahead to the summer window and making sure whatever business we do, we do it early.

We also beat Villa on their turf last week who are joint 2nd. Both results achieved without three of our four best players - Ndiaye, Dewsbury-Hall, and Gueye.

Two of them will probably be available for our next home match against Leeds; Dewsbury-Hall and perhaps Branthwaite are not far from a return. Based on that, my perspective is that things are looking up and 6th spot is something to aim for.

I am "glass half-full" (this week).

Have to make a say. Your third scenario ain't gonna happen. So there is a little more hope, 0,001% more chance to get a Champions League spot.

I wish you a very positive 2026.

Beat Leeds and I’ll come nearer to your camp.

If my memory serves me correctly, in the game against Forest, it was McNeil who supplied Garner with the pass for his goal. It think it was also McNeil who won the ball in our defence to set up the attack via Garner for Barry's goal.

Finally, it was McNeil's shot on goal that Martinez failed to hold that resulted in Barry's goal against Villa. This doesn't include the tracking back he did in both those games to support our defenders to limit the opposition crosses which made our centre-backs look world class. Not a bad contribution in my opinion.

I do want Dibling to succeed but he needs to work on his defensive game to make a better contribution to the team.

On a positive note, their anti-Grealish comments are amusing, albeit foolish.

The improvement he brought to the team from the shite we've been used to watching was stark. I mean, he just never gave the ball away.

I hope we get a month out of him come season end, and that we sign him in the summer. He's clearly a top lad, if perhaps suffering from a weakness which has bedevilled the best of them.

On the other hand, Moyes has figured a few things out that I would have bet against. I can see how he is driven to conservative choices. I just think we should take more chances with the fringe players and the injuries to Jack and KDH support that approach.

Tackling someone at the other end of the pitch doesn't count as an assist; nor does a failed attempt at a curling shot that the keeper bungled (that assists probably goes to Emi Martinez). Nor does tracking back count as an assist either.

Look, I will be delighted if McNeil proves me wrong as we will win. Moyes will undoubtedly play him on the left as he will not pick Dibling as a starter again this season; so Ndiaye will play right.

Let's see if he steps up, as the opportunity is there for him. If nothing else, he will improve the quality of our terrible set-piece delivery. I don't think he has looked fully fit all season, so hopefully his conditioning is ready now,

I might be sort of happy Jonathan if I had them in my FPL team but I don't.

As for Aronsen, he's largely been written off and ignored at both Leeds and for our national team, and he just puts his head down and works his ass off and it's paying off.

He received so much abuse from Leeds fans so to see him winning them over brings me joy. I still despise Leeds, but I can like some of their players.

Following this injury, reports and comments from earlier in the 2025-26 season have highlighted recurring concerns that Grealish does not receive adequate protection from referees despite being one of the most-fouled players in the Premier League.

If it is the latter, and the most concerning one player, does it not mean that he is getting protection? Targeted by the opposition he may be... but that might be because we play through him so much.