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Jack Grealish could face a range of punishments after being left out of Everton’s squad for their Carabao Cup win over Newcastle because of a “breach of club discipline”.
Grealish, who is on loan at Everton from Manchester City for the second successive season, was omitted from David Moyes’ squad after breaching club discipline. It has been widely reported that he missed training without prior authorisation.
Despite his absence, Everton brushed Newcastle aside, with goals from James Garner, Hayden Hackney and Thierno Barry sending the Toffees through to a quarter-final clash with League Two side Fleetwood Town.
After the match, Moyes refused to give further details about the disciplinary breach.
“It was a club decision. I support the decision. It’s something I don’t really want to speak too much about,” he said.
“I think the one thing about Everton and what they’ve got is they’ve got really good values behind it,” Moyes added.
“All the players stand up to the values, accept the values that we put out there, what we want from them on the pitch and off the pitch.
“From that point of view, I think the players have done a brilliant job tonight.”
Grealish had also missed Everton’s defeat to Arsenal last weekend, and it remains unclear whether he will be brought back into the squad for Monday’s trip to Newcastle.
An obvious option would be a fine, although this would hardly affect Grealish given that he reportedly earns £300,000 per week.
Moyes has previously taken a hard line on indiscipline during his first spell at Everton, between 2002 and 2013.
In 2007, he suspended Dutch winger Andy van der Meyde for a breach of club discipline and handed him the maximum fine. A similar incident occurred in 2012, when Royston Drenthe arrived late for training. Moyes sent him home and told him to stay away from the club just days before Everton faced Liverpool in the FA Cup semi-final.
In 2009, Moyes dropped Joleon Lescott from his squad ahead of a Europa League tie, saying the defender’s attitude had disappointed him and his team-mates.
The Scot has also made players train alone as punishment. In 2012, Marouane Fellaini was fined two weeks’ wages and made to undertake a solo training session with Moyes, despite it being a day off, after he headbutted Stoke City defender Ryan Shawcross.
The Belgian said afterwards: “I remember when I was banned after the Stoke game, he gave everyone the day off – everyone: the players, the entire staff – but I came to the training camp to do a training session with him.
“It was just me and him, and it is not easy to go into the camp to face him like that.
“I understood, because I knew I had made a mistake, but you know it’s not easy when you know you have let him down. Just going in there knowing you have to look him in the eye was hard!”
Perhaps the most extreme example of Moyes ruling with an iron fist came in January 2010.
Moyes decided to let Brazilian striker Jô return to his parent club, Manchester City, after he missed training and travelled to Rio de Janeiro without permission.
“Jô didn’t come in over Christmas, so we fined and suspended him,” Moyes said. “I brought him back in, spoke to him and explained to the players I was going to give him another chance, and he came and trained with us last week. "Then he didn’t turn up for training on Monday again, so I don’t know how many more chances I can give people.
“I thought it was only going to be disruptive to the players, who thought it was the right thing to bring him back after his suspension. But when he never came in to work on Monday, that was the final straw.”