Everton’s Sean Dyche checks out Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s mattress and car in bid to improve horrible injury record
/dnl.eurosport.com/sd/img/placeholder/eurosport_logo_1x1.png){kind=logo}
Published 18/02/2023 at 12:33 GMT
One of Sean Dyche’s first jobs behind the scenes at Everton has been to find out what is causing striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s horrific injury record. Calvert-Lewin has played 26 of Everton’s last 66 games in all competitions after struggling with various injuries since the beginning of last season. “I’ve got to learn what his body will and won’t take,” Dyche said.
Guardiola hits back at Carragher's Haaland 'wrong club' claim
Everton manager Sean Dyche is examining Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s mattress and car in a bid to find out what’s causing the striker’s injuries.
Calvert-Lewin, who has managed 12 appearances in all competitions this season, has endured an unfortunate number of injuries since the start of last season, having turned out for Everton in just 26 of their last 66 matches.
The 25-year-old is expected to miss a huge clash with Leeds United at Goodison Park on Saturday as he nurses a hamstring injury, and Dyche is determined to get his star striker back in the Toffees' quest for survival.
On top of the assessments from the club’s medical and sports science departments, Dyche will examine Calvert-Lewin’s lifestyle, including his diet, the car he drives, and the mattress he sleeps on.
“I’ve got to learn about his history, his physiological history. I’ve got to learn what his body will and won’t take, which is what we are trying to do now,” Dyche explained. “We’re speaking to him, the medics, the sports scientists, looking at the stats, training programmes, distance covered, high-speed running, how many kilometres in a week he is running.
“We’re also looking at what’s his diet like, what’s his lifestyle like, what car does he drive, what mattress does he use, how many hours does he sleep a night? That’s learning about people. The biggest learning is what is in here [pointing to his head] and that is the hard part.
“I can’t do it all one-on-one but I’ll get all the information I can and then share it with him. That’s the process for every player by the way, not just him.”
Dyche also believes Calvert-Lewin has aggravated injuries in the past by trying to play when not fully fit.
“I don’t think he’s been properly fit throughout this situation because of his own will and the demand to keep playing,” he said. “Some players don’t realise until afterwards that they’ve put so much demand on themselves and they weren’t quite ready.
“We have to align the process of getting the injury right and him completely right so that he doesn’t break down and he can keep going.”
Calvert-Lewin last featured for Everton in Dyche’s first game in charge, lasting 62 minutes in a 1-0 win over Arsenal, but was not available for the following game against Liverpool at Anfield.
The England striker – who was in Gareth Southgate’s European Championship finals squad in 2021 - has scored one goal in 11 Premier League appearances this campaign.
Everton remain in the relegation zone, one point adrift of Leeds in 17th, who they entertain on Saturday afternoon in a bid to escape the bottom three.
Scan me
Related Topics
Share this article
Advertisement
Advertisement