Dominic Calvert-Lewin is approaching the final 12 months of his current Everton contract.

Daniel Feliciano

Sat 30 September 2023 19:10, UK

Henry Winter of The Times doesn’t expect Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin to be named in the England squad this week despite his good form since returning from injury.

The 27-year-old scored in all three appearances after returning from a facial injury, helping the Toffees to victories over Brentford and Aston Villa in the Premier League and Carabao Cup.

Calvert-Lewin started again in the clash with Luton on Saturday to make it three appearances in a week, but after Ollie Watkins hit a hat-trick for Aston Villa in their 6-1 win over Brighton earlier in the day Winter wrote on his personal Twitter account (30 September) that he expects the ex-Brentford man to get the nod in Gareth Southgate’s squad this week.

“England squad announced 2pm Thursday,” he wrote. “Ollie Watkins dropping major hints.

“Centre-forwards.. Harry Kane, Callum Wilson then.. Watkins surely ahead of Eddie Nketiah. And Dominic Calvert-Lewin needs more minutes for Everton.”

Good

We all know how good Calvert-Lewin can be when he is fully fit, and his profile would suit international football perfectly as an athletic, all-round striker.

But his fitness record over the years has been nothing short of horrendous and until he has proven himself to be capable of staying fit for a prolonged period then he shouldn’t be considered for the England squad realistically.

Sean Dyche has repeatedly made it clear that there is a process for him and he needs to be managed properly, and with England being so stacked in forward areas right now there is no need for him to be thrown into the mix.

It’s better for the player himself and obviously it’s also better for Everton if he is given those two-week periods off from games and allowed to just train and rest to get his body right.

We’re going to need him this season if we want to avoid relegation, and that means keeping him away from Southgate and the England setup.

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