Chris Sutton admits Dominic Calvert-Lewin injury scare a ‘nightmare’ for Everton amid relegation fight
Chris Sutton believes the injury concerns surrounding Dominic Calvert-Lewin are a “nightmare” for Everton after his brilliant return to form under Sean Dyche.
After a strong opening 45 minutes in the 3-0 defeat to Manchester City on Sunday (14 May), the 26-year-old didn’t reappear from the changing room due to a tight groin.
Dyche revealed that he had to overrule the striker at half-time after he wanted to head out and continue playing in the second half of the clash at Goodison Park.
The defeat leaves Everton just one point above the Premier League relegation zone with just two games of their season remaining.
Speaking on 606 Football Phone-In, Sutton admitted his worries for Everton, especially when considering the brilliant performance the Englishman had delivered in the 5-1 win over Brighton.
“I’ve got to agree on the point you made on Calvert-Lewin,” he said [14 May, 33:10]
“I think he was brilliant at Brighton, I think he had started the last three games or something like that. He looked sharp early on in the game today, he took the ball in well.
“So I think it’s a bit of a nightmare for Sean Dyche.”
Nervous wait
The extent of Calvert-Lewin’s injury is still unknown, but every Everton fan will be praying he is fit enough to feature in the club’s last two Premier League games of the season.
After a lengthy spell on the sidelines during Dyche’s early days in the Goodison Park dugout, the England international has returned with a bang in recent weeks.
If anything, prior to this latest setback, the striker looked the fittest he had been in years.
The combination of his strength and pace proved too much for Lewis Dunk and Adam Webster during the rout of Brighton, and he was posing plenty of problems for Ruben Diaz in the early exchanges on Sunday.
The club’s last two games of the campaign, Wolves and Bournemouth, are certainly winnable, but an Everton side without Calvert-Lewin suddenly looks a little devoid of ideas in the final third.
Neal Maupay and Ellis Simms simply can’t pose the same threat as the Englishman.
The Toffees’ Premier League survival hopes could well rest on the severity of his injury.