Frank Lampard has praised the mental strength of Dominic Calvert-Lewin and is hopeful the Everton striker can remain fit over the course of the season on the back of his impressive performance versus Crystal Palace last weekend.
Calvert-Lewin made only 17 Premier League appearances last year after fracturing his toe, only returning towards the end of the campaign as the Blues continued their battle to avoid relegation. The 25-year-old was then dealt a further setback ahead of the 2022/23 season, suffering a knee injury in training to miss the club's opening eight league fixtures.
His return arrived from the bench in a 2-1 defeat by Manchester United earlier this month and featured as a substitute six days later during an away loss at Newcastle United. Calvert-Lewin's big moment came last weekend in Everton's 3-0 home win over Crystal Palace, provoking an outburst of emotion from the England international..
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Aware of the difference the forward can make for the club when available for selection, Lampard is prepared to do whatever it takes to ensure his star man has the best chance of leading the line for the Toffees on a consistent basis.
"If we can keep him fit, he is a huge player for us and a big reference at the top end of the pitch. I have nice options now when he's fit and Neal Maupay too, who has come in and been really positive for us," explained the Everton boss.
"But Dominic, with his attributes and history of what he can do at this club, allows you to work off him in different ways. I'm delighted to have him back and it's a big challenge now for us to give him the right environment and circumstances to stay fit and show what he can do.
"He has been great. When I say that, throughout the period of time I have been here, he has a real desire to be playing regularly and showing what he can do. He has done everything he can do, which can sometimes be frustrating, but has handled himself in the right way. When you take a few knocks like that, and I know it myself as a player at times, they can knock you back and you don't feel like you are contributing to the team. Those things are hard to handle for any player and, looking back on it, I actually think he has handled them very well to get to a place where he should enjoy his moment last week when he shows an individual performance like he did. It's now a maintenance issue of trying to keep him in that level."
Asked how he plans to best manage Calvert-Lewin's reoccurring fitness issues, Lampard added: "The medical team have to work with him, I have to work with him and we have to communicate together what the most important thing is to get Dom to his level and keep him there. We can adjust parts of training, gym work, medical work and rest days to give him the best service and environment to keep him there. The rest is down to his talent and application. We need to find the best way to minimise the threat of these things coming along, and that process starts now. We saw him last week almost where we want him to be.
"With a striker who has been out for a while, it's the one position on the pitch where it is probably more visible if you're not sharp as you need to be sharp in those areas of the pitch. What we saw last week was a sharp player, but I still think there is room for more."
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