Peter Lynch

Wed 23 August 2023 14:10, UK

Reading and England women’s striker Natasha Dowie feels “so sorry” for Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin following his latest injury.

He was withdrawn early in the match with Aston Villa on Sunday (20 August) following a clash with Emiliano Martinez.

Calvert-Lewin’s scheduled return date from the facial injury suffered against Villa is “unknown,” as per the official Everton website.

“Calvert-Lewin is injured again,” Dowie said on the Football Daily podcast (22 August). “I feel so sorry for him. As a striker myself, I can’t even imagine what he’s going through.

“He’s only played 90 minutes four times since last season, which is not ideal really because he is their star centre-forward and they need him.”

Huge blow

Everton fans were perhaps just getting upbeat amid Calvert-Lewin’s return from injury, but this latest setback will have sent them crashing back down to earth.

The striker is obviously a key player for Dyche and how he wants to play, with the forward evidently one of the few men who is able to find the back of the net for the Toffees.

The club are having real problems at both ends of the pitch, with their struggles at the back and in the final third resulting in them sitting rock bottom of the Premier League table after two matches.

Dyche will be desperate for Calvert-Lewin to recover from this blow as soon as possible, but given the player’s injury history, another issue may be just around the corner.

It really is time for the club’s other attackers to step up, with far too much of the goal-scoring burden placed on Calvert-Lewin’s shoulders in recent years.

In other Everton news, one pundit has shared a “bigger picture” verdict amid a Toffees transfer development.