Everton defender Conor Coady believes losing Dominic Calvert-Lewin to yet another injury is ‘massive’ for the Toffees. The striker will miss the trip to AFC Bournemouth on Saturday.
Calvert-Lewin has endured a nightmare last 15 months with a raft of issues forcing the 25-year-old into the treatment room. He had enjoyed a prolific Premier League campaign in 2020/21 under Carlo Ancelotti with 16 goals in 33 games. But he has only played 23 since.
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A quadriceps injury forced the 11-cap England star to miss 14 games from September 2021 to January 2022. Frank Lampard was then loath to usher Calvert-Lewin back into a regular starting role. But he ended the term with two goals and an assist in his final three matches.
But yet another injury would befall Calvert-Lewin on the eve of Everton’s 2022/23 curtain-raiser with Chelsea. He suffered a knee injury in training that forced the forward to sit out eight games. Now, after four starts over six games for one goal, he is back on the sidelines.
Everton have confirmed Calvert-Lewin will miss Saturday’s match at Bournemouth and use the six-week gap for the World Cup to recover from knee, hamstring and shoulder injuries. Lampard hopes their £1.5m arrival from Sheffield United in 2016 will return on Boxing Day.
Coady says Calvert-Lewin’s injury is a ‘massive’ loss as the star is ‘huge’ for Everton
Wolves visit Goodison Park on Boxing Day when the Premier League resumes following the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The six-week break may see Calvert-Lewin only sit out Saturday’s trip to Bournemouth after the Everton forward sustained yet more injuries in a short spell.
Coady has now told talkSPORT that Calvert-Lewin’s latest injury will be a ‘massive’ blow for Everton. He hails what the forward offers the Merseyside outfit, and will now look to push the perennially-crocked attacker to return raring to go and not let his head drop while out.
“[Losing him is] massive, it’s massive,” Coady said. “I can’t tell you how big he is for our club. He’s huge for our club. We’re with him every step of the way. We are in terms of the injuries he’s had in the past and we’re there to push him as much as we possibly can.
“Like I said, he knows how much he means to us as players, to us as a football club and it’s up to us to push him as much as we can. He’s a fantastic player and a fantastic person, you see what he does for us when he plays. He’s an incredible footballer.”
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