Sean Dyche wants Dominic Calvert-Lewin back to fitness for Everton against Liverpool after 'too many' comebacks

Everton manager Sean Dyche thinks forward Dominic Calvert-Lewin "had been rushed back too many times" ahead of his return against Liverpool in the Merseyside derby on Saturday, live on TNT Sports.

The 26-year-old England international has struggled for fitness over the last few seasons but has three goals in six appearances so far this term.

Calvert-Lewin had been linked with a move away from Everton over the last couple of seasons with teams looking for a reliable goalscorer.

Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United were said to be interested in the striker, who was one of the most consistent scorers outside of the Premier League's top teams.

However he has had some serious problems with fitness of late.

The striker has had a stop-start career for Everton, after some serious injuries in the last couple of years, and he has not played more than 20 games for his club for the last two seasons.

Speaking to UFC fighter and Everton fan Molly McCann for TNT Sports, Dyche discussed his approach to reinvigorating the forward - and that he was determined to avoid a repeat of past mistakes.

He said: “When I got here it felt like he’d been rushed back too many times, probably sometimes the player's fault.

"If you have to make a decision to say, 'I'm not right,' it's a really tough call to play. So I think it’s his own will and demand to keep playing, and his [other] managers calling him back quickly I felt, at times.

"If you always do what you’ve done, you’ll always get what you've got. So I had to change it.”

Everton travel to Liverpool on Saturday for the first Merseyside derby of the season.

Liverpool v Everton will be live on TNT Sports 1 from 11.00 UK time on Saturday, October 21.

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