David Moyes refused to lift the lid on Jack Grealish's disciplinary absence after Everton swept aside Newcastle to reach the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.
The Manchester City loanee was left out of Thursday night's squad, with Everton confirming he was "unavailable for selection due to a breach of club discipline."
Grealish, 31, had also missed Saturday's 2-0 Premier League defeat at Arsenal through illness.
It has been claimed he subsequently missed a training session before Everton's fourth-round meeting with Newcastle.
But Moyes would offer no explanation for the decision following his side's 3-1 victory, leaving questions over both the incident and Grealish's immediate future in the team unanswered.
"I'm not going to give any details and it's a club decision and I support the decision," he said.
"I don't want to go into details."
Pressed on whether he felt let down by a player he has backed during his time on Merseyside, the Everton manager again declined to elaborate.
"It is something I don't want to speak too much about," he added.
There was no clarity either over whether Grealish would return for Monday night's Premier League trip to Newcastle, when Everton face another meeting with Matthias Jaissle's side.
"I wouldn't give any team news away," Moyes replied.
Everton delivered an emphatic response on the pitch without the winger, with James Garner, Hayden Hackney and Thierno Barry scoring before Dan Burn grabbed a late consolation.
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And while Moyes would not discuss the circumstances surrounding Grealish's omission, his assessment of the victory included a pointed reference to standards away from the pitch.
"The one thing about Everton is that they have got real good values, all the players stand behind it and accept the values, on the pitch and off the pitch," he said.
"I think the players did a good job tonight, it is a small squad but we are doing our best to keep challenging."
Grealish is spending a second successive season on loan at Everton and remains in the final year of his £300,000-a-week Manchester City contract.
He has yet to score or provide an assist across eight appearances this term, having registered two goals and six assists in 22 outings last season.
The disciplinary setback comes after Moyes recently made clear that his expectations extended beyond Grealish's contribution with the ball.
"I think Jack knows what I expect now," he said.
"We had lots of conversations last year. He knows when he comes here there is an opportunity for him to play and to show what he can do."
Moyes also outlined the example he wanted Grealish to set for Everton's younger wide players.
"But I also want him to be a senior professional and a role model," he stated.
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from GB News https://www.gbnews.com/sport/football/david-moyes-jack-grealish-everton-newcastle
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