Leon Osman delivers Dominic Calvert-Lewin preseason verdict for ‘much better’ Everton
Everton will be “much better” next season if Dominic Calvert-Lewin has an individual pre-season programme, according to Leon Osman.
The former Toffees midfielder believes it is crucial that the injury-hit striker gets through the majority of pre-season unscathed.
Calvert-Lewin was limited to just 17 Premier League appearances last season due to various injury troubles throughout the campaign.
“We know Dominic might need an individual programme, but it is important that he gets through all five or six weeks of it because we will see a much better Everton from it,” Osman told the Liverpool Echo.
Make or break
It really is the last chance for Calvert-Lewin at Everton, with many of Toffees supporters seemingly running out of faith in the injury-prone striker.
With almost 50 Premier League goals to his name, there is no doubting his ability, and no doubting that his presence in the final third makes Everton a much better team.
But there are so many question marks over his fitness, with the 26-year-old playing less than half of last season’s league campaign.
He may even be forced out of Goodison Park before the new campaign gets underway, if indeed Toffees boss Sean Dyche has run out of patience, but the more likely scenario is that the forward is given one last opportunity to prove he can bounce back from his injury struggles.
Unfortunately for the striker, Everton cannot afford another season with his issues, meaning a bit-part role could be on the cards for him if the Toffees bring in a new hitman in the summer transfer window.
In other Everton news, one Manchester City player has sent a four-word message to Toffees ace James Garner.