Daniel Feliciano

Sat 2 December 2023 17:10, UK

Injury expert Ben Dinnery has revealed that Dominic Calvert-Lewin is suffering with a calf problem which has kept him out of Everton training.

The Toffees striker was training alone (Sky Sports, 30 November) during the week and then was left out of the matchday squad entirely by Sean Dyche for the clash with Nottingham Forest on Saturday evening.

But while Dyche claimed in the pre-match press conference that the club were just managing his load, Dinnery wrote on his personal Twitter account (2 December) that the forward is injured.

“Beto gets the nod.. Calvert-Lewin is struggling with a calf complaint,” he wrote.

“Gana Gueye retains his place as Onana misses out again.”

Blow

That’s a huge injury blow because as good as Beto has been since joining in, there is a big difference in quality in front of goal between him and Calvert-Lewin.

The Portuguese summer signing proved to be a more than capable understudy earlier in the season, but it was no surprise that we started scoring more goals once Calvert-Lewin was fit and able to come back into the side.

His mobility is always useful, but his ability to hold the ball up and bring others into play is unmatched and he’s the best poacher in the squad by a country mile.

We have got goals all over the pitch now and Dyche has been able to get those qualities out of the squad this season and during his time in charge, but it doesn’t take away from how important the striker is to this team.

Hoepfully it’s not a long-term issue and it’s more of a precaution because of the busy schedule coming up.

In other Everton news, Richard Keys goes beserk at ‘Laughable’ Man City Premier League agreement.