Former Everton man Kevin Campbell believes young striker Ellis Simms deserves a chance under Sean Dyche.

The Lowdown: Dyche must try everything for goals

Despite getting his Everton side to score at least two goals in a league game for just the third time this season last weekend, goals are an obvious concern for Dyche.

Everton are currently the joint-lowest scorers in the league, so it's no surprise to see them once again engulfed in a battle against the drop into the Championship.

While they haven't been helped by the inability of top striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin to stay fit for a prolonged run of games, they've left themselves horrendously short by not having sufficient backup.

The Latest: Simms could be the last option

After starting a natural winger in the form of Demarai Gray up front last weekend, Campbell has claimed on TalkSport that he believes Simms should be handed a chance to show his qualities.

He said: "The issue is, Calvert-Lewin really is the saviour, but he can't keep himself fit. So by that time, how long do you wait? I think there's a young lad there, Ellis Simms, who I think should get a chance as well because you have to try everything.

"Because, you know what, God forbid the worst thing happens and you don't try him, you're going to say to yourself open all the drawers and try everything. I think Ellis Simms might have a big part to play if Dominic Calvert-Lewin isn't quite right."

The Verdict: Huge pressure on young shoulders

Despite Neal Maupay's woes in front of goal this season, with the Frenchman netting just once since joining in the summer, thrusting Simms into the spotlight of the Premier League could do more bad than good for the youngster and is arguably already a failed experiment from Dyche.

Simms was handed his first Premier League start by Dyche in the Merseyside derby earlier this season and it's safe to say he was far from impressive, touching the ball just 19 times in his 60-minute appearance.

Therefore, instead of thinking about pinning their hopes on a young and unproven striker at this level, Everton should be focusing on getting their England international back fit for at least half of the remaining games this campaign.