Sean Dyche could consider giving Dominic Calvert-Lewin minutes with Everton’s Under-21s as part of his progress toward match fitness.
Calvert-Lewin has been out of action with a hamstring injury since playing the first hour of Dyche’s first game in charge, the 1-0 home win over Arsenal on February 4.. But he is nearing a return and joined first-team training at Finch Farm on Thursday.
The 25-year-old was not ready to be introduced to the matchday squad for the 1-0 home victory over Brentford on Saturday, though, and with a 16-day break after next weekend’s trip to Chelsea, and Dyche stressing the importance of time to his recovery, he could be absent at Stamford Bridge. Dyche is happy with the progress Calvert-Lewin is making, however.
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Asked how close the England forward had been to being involved in the squad for Brentford, Dyche said: “He is just doing well. He is back. He has had two days with us. That is not enough days for me. He needs more of that.
“He’s going well, he’s feeling good and he’s getting stronger. But he needs more training than two days before being thrown in a Premier League game because that has been delivered in the past and it hasn’t worked.”
James Garner and Nathan Patterson, both of whom were injured when Dyche arrived, have played for the U21s as part of their recovery programmes. Asked whether the same process may be applied to Calvert-Lewin, Dyche did not rule it out.
He said: “We will see where he is at but all I can say at the moment is, having spoken to him, he is back. It looks like he is training with a smile on his face, which is what we want, because all of that is part of the making of a footballer’s mentality. We will see where that takes us.
"But I have been impressed with Dimi [Demerai Gray] working hard, I have been impressed with Neal [Maupay] working hard, Simmsy [Ellis Simms] is still learning the game, of course, and the team’s mentality not to overthink that because everybody keeps asking me. I’m looking at the team, not just one player. It is a team situation.”
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