Sutton delighted by emergence of Everton player Ancelotti has ‘shown great faith in’
Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti has appeared to make it a point to promote the development of a number of players since his appointment.
The Toffees boss is renowned around the world for his tactical acumen, and he knows how to spot a good player, as well.
He’s been quick to get youngster Anthony Gordon involved in the first team, for example, while Mason Holgate has continued his progression under the Italian.
Conversely, playmaker Bernard has found consistent starts hard to come by, despite his fine recent form.
However, striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin is probably the player who has benefitted the most from Ancelotti’s appointment.
Former Premier League winner Chris Sutton has been thrilled by the 22-year-old’s emergence this campaign.
“They are very similar to Arsenal in that they changed their manager in December and look a lot better for it,” he told BBC Sport.
“I have enjoyed seeing Dominic Calvert-Lewin come to the fore, and Ancelotti has shown great faith in him.
“You cannot rule them out of the top-five running, but what I would ask whether this is the same group of players who, for whatever reason, were not playing at the same level for the previous manager? So Ancelotti has got to hope those flaws in character that we saw under [Marco] Silva do not show up again in the next couple of months.”
How big has Ancelotti been for Calvert-Lewin?
He’s truly been fantastic for the young striker’s development. Calvert-Lewin’s form has picked up dramatically since Ancelotti’s arrival.
However, Ancelotti’s assistant boss Duncan Ferguson has been magnificent, as well. Calvert-Lewin’s fine form initially started under the Scot’s caretaker spell.
So, it’s been a combination of those two influences, really, which has helped shape DCL’s resurgence.
Let’s hope he can continue his fantastic run until the end of the season, because if so he will almost certainly be an England player come Euro 2020.
In other Everton news, a Premier League heavyweight are reportedly set to make a move for a Toffees regular in the summer.