Former BBC pundit Noel Whelan claims that Dominic Calvert-Lewin has had a 'horrendous' time with injuries after he was ruled out for Everton this afternoon.
The Lowdown: Another setback
The 25-year-old came off in the 2-0 league defeat at home to Leicester City last weekend with a hamstring problem, which subsequently kept him out of the squad in the 4-1 loss at Bournemouth in the Carabao Cup in midweek.
Frank Lampard confirmed in his pre-game press conference ahead of their match against the Cherries in the Premier League this afternoon that Calvert-Lewin 'won't be involved', as he not only has a problem with his hamstring but also his shoulder and knee.
His knee injury had kept him out of the start of the season, and after making a comeback in October (Transfermarkt), he appears to have suffered another injury setback.
The Latest: 'Horrendous' injury problems
Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan has claimed that Calvert-Lewin has had a 'horrendous' time with injuries, describing his latest setback as 'awful', and he even suggested that Everton need to bring in another striker as cover in the January transfer window given the England international's record.
The 47-year-old stated: “He’s had a horrendous time with injuries. There’ll be no one more frustrated than Calvert-Lewin. It’s awful when you’re coming back just to get another injury and another setback.
“But I think Frank and the board have now got to get a quality striker through the door. They’ve brought Maupay in, who can do a job – but he’s not an out-and-out goalscorer.
“Everton need someone who can lead the line, bring others into play – but more importantly, put the ball in the net. Calvert-Lewin can do that when he is fit, but it’s just not happening for him.
“There comes a time, after 15 months of problems, where you need to think about bringing in better cover. It’d be money worth spending, that’s for sure.”
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The Verdict: Yet another setback
This is not the first time that Calvert-Lewin has suffered an injury setback, as he missed a four points in the end.
This term, the Toffees have only managed 11 goals in 14 games in the league, the third fewest in the top flight, which sees them lingering in 16th place in the table (Sky Sports).
Calvert-Lewin is a reliable source for goals in the top tier when fit, as evident by his double-digit hauls in the 2019/20 and 2020/21 campaigns, but he seems to be really struggling to get a consistent run of games together.
Having already been beaten well by Bournemouth in midweek, Everton have extra psychological pressure to get a result today, which will be harder to achieve in Calvert-Lewin's absence.
Nonetheless, given his injury record, they should take Whelan's advice and consider signing another striker in January, with Blackburn Rovers' Ben Brereton Diaz one such player to be linked with a Goodison Park move.