Calvert-Lewin quietly developing into a very good player

Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin got on the scoresheet for England under-21’s on Thursday in a 1-1 draw against Poland. The result was not what the team would have wanted, but the goal was a reminder of Calvert-Lewin’s development.

The 22-year-old has been in and out of the Everton set-up for the last couple of years. However, the youngster has shown promising signs in recent games.

Come a long way in recent years

Calvert-Lewin cost Everton just £1.5million when he joined the Toffees from hometown club Sheffield United. There were definite signs of a promising player during his time in Yorkshire, but the striker made just 11 league appearances for the Blades, failing to score. He also had loan spells at Stalybridge Celtic and Northampton, where he did get on the scoresheet.

He arrived on Merseyside to little fanfare and excitement. Since then Calvert-Lewin has won an under-20 World Cup and made 12 appearances for the under-21s too. One of the most significant developments of late though maybe that he is now Everton’s first-choice striker.

The Toffees have struggled to find a replacement for Romelu Lukaku, who left for Manchester United in the summer of 2017. That has meant boss Marco Silva has tried Cenk Tosun, Richarlison and also Calvert-Lewin up front at different periods this season.

However, Silva has never quite settled on a regular central striker until recent games. Calvert-Lewin has now started the last four Premier League games, completing 90 minutes on three occasions. He has acquitted himself well in recent matches against tough opposition in Liverpool and Chelsea while scoring against Newcastle and Cardiff.

Has good attributes, but still a work in progress

The fact that the striker scored two goals in four recent appearances shows just what he can do when he is given regular first-team football. The bugbear amongst the Everton fans is that he does not get enough goals.

However, it would be difficult to claim that he has been given a good run of games to gain any momentum so far during his career on Merseyside. While he has good technique and his hold up play is improving, finishing is definitely an area of his game that Calvert-Lewin needs to improve.

To be fair Everton have not made a hatful of chances for the youngster in recent games. He has missed a few opportunities, but it’s not like he is missing chance after chance in games. Hopefully, when he gains more experience Calvert-Lewin will become a better finisher, as he has some very good other facets to his game.

Promising signs of developing into a very good player

Often too much pressure is placed on the shoulders of young players. Dominic Calvert-Lewin recently stated that he no longer feels like a young player and he now needs to show what he can do.

That is a great attitude for a young player to have. He works hard for the team and reports suggest he is keen to learn in training. The former Blades striker looks set to remain in the Everton starting line-up at least until the end of the campaign.

No doubt, the Toffees will target a new striker in the summer, as the future of Turkish striker Cenk Tosun on Merseyside is in doubt, while Oumar Niasse is out on-loan at Cardiff. It is now up to the 22-year-old to show that he is good enough to compete for that striking berth next season too. Scoring goals for the rest of the season will certainly help his case.

The Toffees will want to finish as high as they can this season. Silva’s team are currently odds of 4/5 for a top-half finish. If Calvert-Lewin can continue in the same vein, then there is no reason why he cannot add more goals to his tally this season and help his team end an unconvincing campaign on a positive note.

Can Dominic Calvert-Lewin develop into a top striker?