It got off to such a storybook beginning.
Jack Grealish joined Everton on loan from Manchester City, and immediately talked about how excited he was to be in Liverpool with the Blues. That part wasn't terribly surprising. This is what new players say when they join a new club.
But Grealish's play on the pitch matched what he said, and the change of scenery appeared to do him a great deal of good.
He won Premier League Player of the Month in August, tallying four assists in two matches, the first time he'd won that award in his career.
The dizzying start didn't hold up, but he's been a solid player for Everton throughout the season, serving as another danger man opposite Iliman Ndiaye and alongside Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, giving Everton one its strongest attacking groups in years.
Ironically, it was a trip to his boyhood club, a shocking 1-0 win over Aston Villa just over two weeks ago, that appears to have done him in. Although he played the entire match, news quickly came out that Grealish had suffered some sort of long-term injury. Soon after, the news worsened.
And now, Everton manager David Moyes confirmed today that Grealish "probably won’t play for Everton again in his current loan spell" due to a stress fracture in his foot, an unfortunate turn of events that may force the club to make unplanned turns before the January transfer window closes on Monday.
Surgery seems the most likely outcome, although Moyes didn't say it was for sure quite yet, all while leaving a slight door open for Grealish to return this season, saying the injury "probably rules him out for the rest of the season."
Grealish had quickly become a favorite of the supporters, mostly for how he immediately took to the ethos of the club. But he was clearly a force of action for the team on the pitch as well, and with the club starting to get healthier, along with the return of Ndiaye and Idrissa Gana Gueye from AFCON, supporters were excited to see what a full-strength Everton looked like for the first time this season.
Moyes admitted it was too early to know what impact this injury would have on Grealish's long-term future at Everton, but it almost certainly has to change the price tag that Manchester City can slap on him if they do decide to sell in the summer.
The original loan deal included an option to buy for £50 million, a price Everton were never likely to pay, but maybe this turn of events lowers the price to a more palatable number.
Grealish will turn 31 around the start of next season, but his game is more predicated on technical skill than pace, so maybe there's a path forward for him with the Toffees.
For now, however, his absence will take away a key piece in the side, something Moyes will need to figure out in the coming days and months.