Gary Neville has warned Everton boss Sean Dyche that he will lead the Toffees to relegation if he keeps pinning his hopes on stricken forward Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
The 25-year-old striker has endured another injury-hit campaign with just nine starts in the Premier League so far this term and only one goal to his name. That solitary strike came all the way back in October during a 3-0 win against Crystal Palace.
That is a huge downturn in productivity for the 11-time England international, with the 21 goals he scored in all competitions during the 2020/21 campaign representing his best return for the club. He followed that up with just five goals last term in what was another hugely frustrating campaign on the injury front.
Despite having returned to contention over recent weeks with five consecutive Premier League starts, new Everton boss Dyche was without Calvert-Lewin's services in the 2-0 defeat to Liverpool in the Merseyside Derby. Academy graduate Ellis Simms was deployed in his place but struggled to have an impact on the game.
Speaking about why Calvert-Lewin was absent, Dyche said: "We are just watching it and monitoring it, obviously he needs to get himself right, not just the injury but generally. He has had a tough time so we need to monitor him."
Neville then weighed in on those comments and suggested that should Everton continue pinning their hopes on Calvert-Lewin, they could very easily slip into the Championship.
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Speaking after the final whistle, he said: “They’ve [Everton] got to stop talking about Dominic Calvert-Lewin, it’s as if they’re waiting for something to sort of save them - it might never come.
"They’ve got to get [Neal] Maupay playing, the boy [Ellis Simms] tonight I think it might have been beneficial for him to have a partner up there with him - it’s tough playing on your own, it’s the toughest position to play up front, on your own, other than goalkeeper I think.
“For me, this idea that they always mention, ‘when we get Calvert-Lewin back we’ll be okay,’ no you won’t. You can’t wait for him. You’ll be relegated if you’re waiting for him.”
Following their defeat to Liverpool at Anfield on Monday evening, Everton are now one point away from safety. They have scored the fewest goals in the Premier League throughout the campaign, with just 16 to their name in 22 matches.
Dyche’s side now face key games against Leeds, Aston Villa, Arsenal and Nottingham Forest over the next few weeks as they attempt to scramble out of the drop zone. It remains to be seen whether Calvert-Lewin will be fit enough to return or that Dyche will turn to Maupay or Simms once more.
Should they lose to Leeds at Goodison Park then the Toffees could potentially find themselves four points adrift and potentially en-route to a place in the second tier.
