adminRio Ferdinand spotted something he really didn’t like about Jack Grealish’s first Everton start
Jack Grealish Shines in Full Everton Debut Despite Criticism from Rio Ferdinand
Jack Grealish made his full debut for Everton over the weekend, starting for the first time in their clash against Brighton & Hove Albion.
After being left out of the starting lineup in the season opener at Elland Road, manager David Moyes handed the Manchester City loanee his first start at the Hill Dickinson Stadium — and it turned out to be a smart decision.
The 29-year-old delivered an impressive performance, recording two assists and looking rejuvenated on the pitch. Grealish himself admitted he was once again enjoying his football, and he wasted no time in starting to justify the hefty fee Everton are paying for his services this season.
Notably, Grealish refused to be subbed off after 60 minutes, a sign of both his commitment and improved fitness — a promising sign for Everton supporters.
While former striker Troy Deeney praised Grealish’s performance, highlighting the passion he brought to the game, not everyone was equally impressed. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Rio Ferdinand shared a more critical view.
Ferdinand expressed concern over the lack of freedom Grealish had while playing on the left flank. “My wish is that he goes to Everton and he’s allowed freedom. We didn’t see that at the weekend,” he said. “He got two assists, which is great — one was brilliant, a driven ball across the box, the other was just a simple pass backwards.
But he still didn’t play with the kind of freedom I hoped for. Ideally, I’d like to see him in a central number 10 role.”
Interestingly, Grealish’s brother also expected him to be deployed as a central playmaker under Moyes. Given the dramatic improvement in Everton’s attacking play compared to their performance against Leeds, it seems there’s still more to come from this new-look side.
That evolution could be helped by the arrival of Tyler Dibling from Southampton in a £35 million move. The 19-year-old right winger is excited to play alongside Grealish and could help unlock the Englishman’s full creative potential by allowing him to shift into his preferred central position.
With Dibling’s natural role on the right, Iliman Ndiaye could return to the left, opening the door for Grealish to operate in the number 10 slot.
The big question now is how quickly Moyes will integrate Dibling into the starting XI — and how that could reshape Everton’s attacking setup moving forward
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