Sean Dyche has issued an injury update on Dominic Calvert-Lewin ahead of Everton's clash with Arsenal. The 25-year-old striker watched the Toffees' defeat to Aston Villa from the directors' box at Goodison Park as he continues to rebuild his fitness following a hamstring issue.
Calvert-Lewin, who was once heavily linked with a move to the Gunners, has featured just once for Everton since Dyche replaced Frank Lampard in the dugout. And, his absence from the squad looks set to continue as Arsenal prepare to welcome Everton to Emirates Stadium on March 1.
Speaking after the Toffees' loss, Dyche admitted that he does not expect Calvert-Lewin to be available for the trip to north London on Wednesday. When asked about the chances of him playing, he simply replied: "I doubt it."
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Despite the defeat to Villa and the continued absence of Calvert-Lewin, Dyche remained positive on the progress Everton are making ahead of the Arsenal tie. He said: "It’s a tough one to call today because I thought there were a lot of good signs about what the performance should be, that’s what we want the team to look like.
"You could tell by the atmosphere in the stadium, the fans yet again seeing the team doing so much to win a game, and then we don’t get a win, and that’s frustrating for us all.
"And like I say, a large part of the performance was right. It was right by the individuals, it was right by the team, the collective, and the feel of the performance."
With regard to Arsenal's frontline options, Arteta shocked a few people when he decided to opt for Leandro Trossard as a false-nine instead of Eddie Nketiah, the conventional choice. Speaking to the press, the Spaniard explained his decision to do so and whether he might do it again.
When asked for his opinion on Trsossard's performance, Arteta replied: "Really well. I think he was really good. He got involved in many situations that could have led to many more big chances.
"He was involved in that incredible goal that he scored that was disallowed. He was involved in the goal of Gabi with the pass that he played to him. He’s so good in tight spaces and small spaces with that creativity to open people up. I’m really happy we have him.
"We had the option. We had the option to play Gabi as a nine and Leo on the left. We had to see how the game developed and what Leicester wanted to do.
"I wanted to have that option on the field to make that change if necessary and I think it was great because he was really good."
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