No Grealish, no cry - the rise of Everton's youngsters

As Everton prepared to face Newcastle in the fourth round of the EFL Cup at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Thursday, the stakes were high.

A quarter-final tie against League Two opposition in Fleetwood awaited the winner, and a fanbase starved of trophies began to look ahead - albeit, for some, through covered eyes.

Then, in the build-up to the match, it was revealed Jack Grealish had been dropped from the squad over what is understood to have been an unauthorised absence from training.

The unwanted headline threatened to derail preparations for the latest round of a competition that perhaps offers Everton's best chance of winning a trophy for the first time in 31 years.

Instead, the club's younger players came to the fore, led by the influential Hayden Hackney.

A £16.5m summer signing from Middlesbrough, the 24-year-old made light of his inexperience at the highest level against a strong Newcastle XI, assisting James Garner's opening goal before scoring Everton's second with a close-range volley.

Hackney, though, has needed to be patient early in his Everton career.

After starting the opening game of the season - a 2-0 win against Crystal Palace - his only subsequent start prior to Thursday's cup victory was in the third round of the same competition against Wolves.

The central midfielder is not known for being prolific - the fourth-round win was only the second time in his career he had scored and assisted in the same game - but he knitted together phases of possession and carried the ball with the confidence that led to him being named Championship player of the year last season.

David Moyes, though, is a demanding manager and one perfectly prepared to keep young feet on the ground.

"I thought there were bits of his game that were very good," said the Everton boss. "Getting a goal was great. There were other bits where I didn't think it was where it was [supposed to be].

"But I see this as a bit of bringing in Championship players, getting them used to the Premier League. A couple of times he got caught on the ball.

"But I really enjoyed bits. He gave us a bit of an attacking play, getting into the box, and obviously getting the goal was really good. A really good assist from Thierno Barry as well, to be fair."

While Hackney was ably assisted by strong performances from Garner and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall in Everton's midfield, the threadbare nature of the Toffees' squad means the development and contribution of the club's younger players could prove crucial in any success this season.

Of the 10 players signed on permanent deals since Moyes rejoined the club in January 2025, seven are aged 24 or under, including Barry.

The France Under-21 international is playing just a third season in a top-five European league after joining from Villarreal in July 2025, but his introduction to elite football has been more pressurised because of Everton's lack of options up front.

Barry is the club's only specialist centre-forward, starting every match and playing 918 minutes this season. His tally of seven goals is already just one off his total from last season, despite playing 30 fewer matches.

Everton have recorded 24 big chances, and Barry has been involved in 15 of them (62.5%).

Whiles Moyes' hand has been somewhat forced in giving Barry game time because of a lack of alternatives, there has been a broader indication he is more prepared to back the younger members of his squad this season.

The average age of Everton's starting XI in the Premier League has dropped by almost 18 months this season to 26 years and 216 days.

The departure of veteran midfielder Idrissa Gueye has made a difference but first-team players aged 24 or under are playing a much higher proportion of Premier League minutes than in the previous campaign.

Moyes used just 22 players in the Premier League last season. He has already used 22 in this one.

Even the youngest players in the squad appear to have gained more trust. In 2025-26, players aged 21 or under totalled 1,088 minutes for the Toffees, a figure that has already been exceeded this season (1,206).

At 19, Harrison Armstrong is the youngest regular in Everton's senior squad. In January, he had completed a six-month loan spell at Preston and Moyes considered sending him back to Deepdale for the remainder of last season before slowly integrating him into the first team.

This season, the teenager has started every Premier League match.

Winger Tyler Dibling, 20, initially struggled after a £35m move from Southampton in the summer of 2025 but was positive in getting Everton on to the front foot on against Newcastle on Thursday night.

Tyrique George joined on a permanent deal from Chelsea in the summer after spending the second half of last season on loan at Everton during which he made only one league start.

The 20-year-old has already made five this season, scoring his first goal for the club in the 2-2 draw with Manchester United in September.

George also started the EFL Cup fixture last week and won back possession for the opening goal.

Merlin Rohl broke into the team towards the end of last season and the 24-year-old midfielder, who also signed permanently in the summer following an initial loan spell, has since been trusted to fill Everton's problem position of right-back.

After missing four games because of injury, he was immediately brought back into the starting XI against Chelsea. He was then preferred to the more experienced Ainsley Maitland-Niles at right-back for matches against Arsenal and Newcastle.

When asked if Grealish would return to the squad for Monday's rematch at St James' Park, Moyes said he would not reveal any team news, though there is no doubt that experience still counts among the 63-year-old's most valuable commodities.

Defender James Tarkowksi, 33, has been a standout performer so far this season, while the form of fellow senior players such as Jordan Pickford, 32, and Dewsbury-Hall, 28 remain critical to this Everton side.

But when Everton meet Newcastle for the second time in less than a week on Monday, Grealish could again miss out.

In his absence, younger heads were good enough to win a cup tie. It would be further indication of their growing influence if they were to repeat that result in the Premier League.