Grealish for England? Everton Borrowed Star Providing Tuchel a Selection Dilemma
Jack Grealish 'has helped us an awful lot' - Everton Boss
Match official Michael Salisbury had barely blown the full-time whistle to confirm the Toffees' dramatic late win over the Eagles when the Merseyside outfit updated the profile on their X account.
Underneath the team's iconic badge appeared a short phrase: Grealish for England.
It is almost a year since the attacking midfielder last wore a Three Lions shirt in a three-one international win over the Finns in Helsinki under interim manager the former coach.
It will be while longer before the veteran player gets the opportunity to represent his country again after being omitted from Thomas Tuchel's latest squad for a friendly against the Welsh next midweek, followed by a World Cup qualifier in Latvia on 14 October.
However, one aspect remains perfectly evident: Grealish is doing everything he can to play his way into the manager's plans for next summer's World Cup.
After providing several key passes in his initial half-dozen Premier League appearances for the Blues, Grealish netted the 93rd-minute winner to secure his team's comeback victory after Dean Henderson had saved the striker from point-blank range.
Timed at the 92nd minute, it was the club's most recent home Premier League winning goal since spring 2022 against the Magpies - 98 minutes and 20 seconds.
"Can you believe this?" remarked Grealish, speaking to Sky Sports after the match.
"Our recent matches we've played here we've been drawing and I've said to myself in the 85th minute, 'come on Jack, go and score. Imagine if you scored now'.
"I thought it against Aston Villa, and I didn't score. I said it against West Ham and I couldn't convert.
"Today, I actually said the same thing again and I put it in. I ran to where my parents were, so it was special."
- Grealish 93rd-minute winner for the Toffees ends Palace unbeaten run
- 'Exceeding expectations' - the manager lauds maverick Grealish after win
'England omission not a big deal'
The weekend's game was the midfielder's last for a few weeks - having only recently to string together six successive league starts for the initial occasion in almost 30 months.
He will be not allowed to face his parent club City when his loan side resume play after the fixture pause on 18 October.
It's over eight months before the kickoff of the World Cup. Will Grealish be included on the England plane?
"Honestly," he shared with the radio station after the Crystal Palace game, "it's not as deep as people make out."
"Ultimately, you aspire to play for the England side but others are doing well in my position. I'm doing well also, but the people selected previously did exceptionally in the two games so that's fine with me.
"The coach makes the choices and I completely understand that."
Grealish continued: "My priority is playing for Everton because they are the ones that put their trust in me and believed in me, so I'm thoroughly loving it here."
But, ex-international Wayne Rooney informed the media that Grealish's form for the Merseysiders will be giving the England boss a "selection problem".
"All Jack can do is keep doing what he is achieving, clearly getting a goal today," commented Rooney, who scored over fifty strikes in 120 appearances for the national team.
"I believe if he maintains that he will be in contention come the summer.
"If Jack plays, his ability will shine through, so I'm sure he'll be posing the national coach a headache."
'In the right place'
Jack Grealish featured in seven top division matches last season - he's begun six since moving to Goodison Park in August.
Tuchel insists the door remains open for Grealish, who has numerous international appearances and several strikes for his country, in terms of the global competition next season.
"There's invariably a way back into the camp," the England boss said on Friday.
"He is aware that I recognize how impactful he is for the team and that he is on his path to be the best version of himself."
In Grealish's seven league games since joining on a season-long loan from City, he has played 556 minutes, had multiple contributions, set up 17 chances and had several attempts.
"Jack's done great again," remarked Everton boss David Moyes after his team's initial victory since late August.
"I have been urging him to score more. He is always in the right place.
"Iliman Ndiaye's cross was fantastic and the forward should have buried it. But Jack is positioned well to score the goal."
The manager disclosed Grealish had skipped training during the week because of a slight issue, noting: "He's needed to miss the odd day of training but he is doing a many good things."
Grealish was not the sole individual left out from Tuchel's national squad who managed to find the net this weekend.
The forward netted again for Barcelona - although they were defeated four-one at Sevilla - while Mason Mount scored in Manchester United 2-0 win over the Black Cats on the weekend.