Dwight McNeil looks forward to finally forging a partnership with Dominic Calvert-Lewin at Everton. The striker’s injury troubles have stopped them from building a bond this season.
The pair have so far only featured for 291 minutes together through nine fixtures across all competitions. McNeil and Calvert-Lewin are also yet to combine in any manner for a single goal involvement. They have even only started in the same line-up on just three occasions.
Everton have also only won twice after McNeil and Calvert-Lewin have taken to the field at the same time. They featured alongside each other for five minutes as the Toffees won 1-0 against Crystal Palace in October and for 62 minutes as they beat Arsenal 1-0 in February.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin has endured another injury-hit season with Everton
But Sean Dyche has been without Calvert-Lewin since beating Arsenal after the 25-year-old sustained a hamstring injury during their game. He has missed their last six Premier League fixtures due to the issue. But the striker returned to team training at Finch Farm last week.
His hamstring injury was just Calvert-Lewin’s latest issue during a frustrating season for the Everton forward, though. The 11-cap England international also missed 10 top-flight games under Frank Lampard this season. He had sustained knee, hamstring and shoulder injuries.
This term also marks yet another injury-hit campaign for Calvert-Lewin at Everton. He also missed 18 Premier League fixtures last season after suffering a quadriceps problem on two occasions. He would ultimately only score five goals across 17 appearances, starting in 15.
What has Dwight McNeil said about playing with the striker at Goodison Park?
Calvert-Lewin’s array of injury issues so far this season have held the Everton striker to one goal over 11 top-flight appearances. But McNeil is confident the attacker will provide a big boost to Dyche’s side once he is match fit. He also relishes the prospect of building a bond.
“We know Dom’s a big player for us,” McNeil said, via quotes by the Liverpool Echo. “He’s got a couple of training sessions but I think the main thing is to get him match fit because he’s a massive part of our squad.
“I’ve not really played with Dom. I just know from experience of playing against him that he’s a massive threat. He’s good in the air but he’s good with his feet, as well. So, he’s a big handful and everyone’s looking forward to having him back in the squad.”
McNeil met an Everton side featuring Calvert-Lewin seven times before leaving Burnley for an initial £20m last July under Lampard. Calvert-Lewin scored three times against McNeil’s Clarets over those games in all competitions. McNeil also scored once against the Toffees.
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