David Moyes explains the Everton 'risk' he wants Jack Grealish to take - 'I have spoken to him'

David Moyes has been speaking about the changes he would like Jack Grealish to implement in his game ahead of Everton playing Crystal Palace on Sunday

David Moyes believes Jack Grealish is back performing at the levels that got him in the England team despite being left out of the squad again by Thomas Tuchel. But ahead of the home game with Crystal Palace, he wants to see him shooting more for Everton.

One of Grealish’s motivations to make his season-loan switch from Manchester City was to try and earn an international recall ahead of next summer’s World Cup finals. But the 30-year-old, who has been capped 39 times, hasn’t turned out for the Three Lions since he netted in the 3-1 win in Finland for interim manager Lee Carsley almost a year ago on October 13, 2024.

Moyes admitted he was glad he wasn’t picking the England team himself given the embarrassment of riches they possess in attacking midfield areas but he wants to see Grealish, who was named Premier League Player of the Month for the first time in his career in August after providing four assists in his first two starts, going for goal himself.

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The Eagles come to Hill Dickinson Stadium unbeaten in their last 19 games and the Blues boss said: “I want Jack to shoot more, and I want him to get into positions to score. I am sure managers far better than me have spoken to him about it as well, but I am looking at him and saying I want to get more goals, more assists.

“His assist numbers are good that is for sure and I want to get him on the scoresheet himself, getting in at the back post more, a bit more instinctive and I think he has the ability to create space and get some shots away. He has always been in the main very correct with his football, he doesn’t risk too much in same ways with the ball, he will risk with a pass like the goal he created for Kiernan (Dewsbury-Hall) against Wolves where he chips it over the boy’s foot and Kiernan goes through and scores.

“He will risk in those actions, but I am not so sure he will risk if he thinks someone will block. Those are the bits where I am saying I would like him to get the radar on.

“His finishing is great as well, he has got a rocket shot and he can bend it in the far corner and he can do all of the things. So, there is no reason for him not to take it on.

“I think it is him trying to be clean in all his work, he is very strong about not wanting to give the ball away too often. I think he could take a bit more risk in his finishing.”

Often Grealish has two markers on him and Moyes acknowledged that opponents doubling up on who they perceive as the dangerman means that Everton, who have been held to draws, 0-0 by Aston Villa and 1-1 by West Ham United, in their previous two home games, must find solutions. The 62-year-old said: “That is a factor which makes it more difficult.

“When you are doubled up on all the time, the correct thing is maybe not to try and score because to beat the two men will be really difficult. When you are doubled up on there should be another player spare to pick out, a full-back or another attacking player, so that makes it more difficult for him.

“I think the coverage he is getting and the talk he is getting is fuelling that a little bit. We are finding that even from the opening games there has been more of a focus on that and they are making it much harder for Jack.

“Teams are saying: ‘We realise he is back on the map again and we are going to have to deal with it’. But I have spoken to him about shooting more and also practising to hopefully getting him feeling more confident if he needs that to score, I don’t think it is confidence, it is just him taking on a few more chances to score.”

Given Grealish’s immense talent, it’s perhaps a surprise that the man who became the first £100million English footballer has only hit double figures in all competitions once in his career to date, in 2019/20, during Aston Villa’s first season back in the Premier League.

And Moyes said: “He might be someone who is more of an assist maker rather than a goalscorer.

“If it is good numbers, you are not bothered, but in the modern game now we are all looking for our wide players and our strikers to be our goalscorers. An example would be the goal Mohamed Salah scores for Liverpool off the right-hand side, there are goals coming from more wide players.

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