As of right now, Jack Grealish's transfer to Everton has been a huge success, and the England international is finally playing in the first team again.

Under Pep Guardiola, the 30-year-old's career at Man City had started to stall, and he had never really established himself as a regular starter.

Grealish appears to be back to his best after securing a change of scenery. He opened the 2025–26 Premier League season at the brand-new Hill Dickinson Stadium with a goal and four assists.

But because of the English football regulations that prohibit the loanee from playing this weekend, the Toffees will need to find alternative solutions as they get ready to play Grealish's "parent club" at the Etihad Stadium on October 18.

Is Jack Grealish able to play for Everton against Manchester City?

Jack Grealish will not be eligible to play in either of Everton's domestic games against Man City, including the away game on October 18 and the home game on May 2, 2026, because of the limitations imposed on his loan.

According to Premier League regulations, players who are loaned to domestic teams are not permitted to play against their parent club in league or cup competitions.

However, this regulation is unique to English football and is not commonly used. Grealish would therefore have been available to play if these two clubs had ever met in a European competition.

Why are loan players unable to play for their parent team?

For a long time, the Premier League has prohibited players who are on loan from playing for their parent club.

This is to avoid the awkward scenario when players who are contracted to a specific club negatively impact their competitive endeavours while on loan.

However, in other parts of Europe and the world, this is not typically the case. In contrast to England, most leagues let each loan's talks and contract determine this restriction. Therefore, for such a restriction to be effective, it needs to be included in each specific loan agreement.

This type of restriction is frowned upon in many nations, including Spain. It is common to refer to a provision in a player's loan agreement that prohibits them from playing against their parent club as a "fear clause." The prevailing belief is that if a player is sent abroad because they are surplus to needs, the parent club should not be concerned about them getting wounded on the pitch; otherwise, they should not have sent them out in the first place.

Jack Grealish's Everton loan agreement

For the 2025–2026 season, Jack Grealish moved on loan to Everton as his career at Manchester City stagnated.

To boost his profile and position himself to play for England in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the 30-year-old joined the Toffees with the hopes of playing more minutes.

Numerous reports state that Everton will cover seventy-five per cent of Grealish's annual salary under the terms of the transaction, which came at a cost of roughly £12 million (€13.8 million or $16.1 million).

According to the sources, Everton has a £50 million (€57.5 million or $66.9 million) buy option at the end of the current campaign. However, considering the player's age and Everton's present financial situation, it is extremely improbable that this amount will be activated.