Everton boss Sean Dyche leaving no stone unturned to understand star player’s condition

It has been less than a month since Sean Dyche took over the reins at Everton and is already working hard in bringing out a fit version of Dominic Calvert-Lewin. The English striker is one of the main players in the squad but the injury troubles has limited his impact on the team and impacted his confidence.

Calvert-Lewin has missed 50% of the Premier League games so far because of injuries, playing 11 out of 22 games, playing just 735 minutes of league football and scoring once. Not having your main striker for 50% of the games is not an encouraging sign. The lack of goalscoring hasa been a major issue for Everton this season and one of the consequences is the Toffees have landed themselves in a relegation battle. Had Calvert-Lewin been fit and firing, the Merseysiders could have been in a very different position than they are now.

The 25 year old started the game against Arsenal but was substituted in the 62nd minute as a precaution. Dyche later revealed that Calvert-Lewin would undergo routine scans as he felt tightness in his hamstring. The Englishman missed the Merseyside derby too as Everton and Dyche continued to monitor the player’s condition.

Everton boss Sean Dyche rules out Dominic Calvert-Lewin against Leeds United

Not having Calvert-Lewin during a very important phase of the relegation scarp can be detrimental to Everton’s hopes. The Toffees now face Leeds United at Goodison Park in what is a relegation six-pointer game as the Whites sit 17th in the table, one spot above the Merseysiders.

Calvert-Lewin’s inclusion in the Leeds United game has been ruled out as the player continues to suffer from a hamstring issue. Dyche has been playing close attention to Calvert-Lewin’s condition and is trying his level best to get the Englishman ready and fit, ending this horrific period where injuries have always got the better of him.

"I’m speaking to Dominic, speaking to the medics, the sports science team, getting the stats and facts, training programmes, distance covered, high speed running, how many kilometres in a week, what’s his diet like, what’s his lifestyle like, what car does he drive, what mattress does he use, how many hours does he sleep at night. That’s learning about people but the biggest thing is what’s in here (points to his head), that’s the hard part.I can’t do it all one on one, we have groups with lots of skilled specialists and get all the information I can and share it with him and ask ‘how are you feeling?’ It’s the same process for all the players through things I’ve learned over my career. I didn’t know stuff like that when I was a player, you had maybe two of those factors. (via Liverpool ECHO)"

In the last two seasons, Calvert-Lewin has just played 29 of the possible 68 games. This is not the same Calvert-Lewin that netted over 20 goals under Carlo Ancelotti in the 2020-21 season. The 25 year old needs to regain his confidence but most importantly get himself fit  and play consistently.

Will Dominic Calvert-Lewin find his fitness back and be decisive for Everton this season?