24 August 2023 , 13:26
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Sam Allardyce believes questions need to be asked of Everton's medical team over Dominic Calvert-Lewin's damning injury record after the forward suffered yet another setback.
The 26-year-old was taken off in the 38th minute as the Toffees slumped to a 4-0 defeat at Aston Villa on Sunday. Calvert-Lewin was admitted to hospital with blurred vision and a swollen cheekbone following a nasty collision with goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.
Everton boss Sean Dyche revealed in his pre-match press conference that Calvert-Lewin will miss this weekend's game against Wolves and is set to see a specialist on Friday. Calvert-Lewin has now made just 35 Premier League appearances since the start of the 2021/22 season.
Allardyce worked with the striker at Goodison Park and despite his latest issue being particularly unfortunate, he has questioned why he has such torrid luck.
Speaking to William Hill and Footy Accumulators' No Tippy Tappy Football, Allardyce said: "Dominic Calvert-Lewin was always going to be a great player because he was 19 or 20 when he was playing up front for me and as he started to mature with experience, he started to put the ball in the back of the net. He became Everton's biggest player and the main one they needed to keep.
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"But for the last two years, there's been one injury after another. He's the only saviour with guaranteed goals, but they've lost that. If it was me, I would be straight over to the medical staff, rehab team, and reconditioning team, and I would ask what they are doing.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin sustained a cheekbone injury against Aston Villa (Getty Images)"'Why does he keep getting soft tissue issues?' I'd say that you would need to do something about this because this is your responsibility and if I don't have that player, that could get me the sack. He's that important. What are they doing to make sure that when he gets fit and stays fit?"
Dyche has signed one recognised centre-forward so far this summer, with Youssef Chermiti arriving from Sporting CP for £10million. Che Adams has been heavily linked with a move from Championship side Southampton, while Leicester duo Patson Daka and Kelechi Iheanacho and Udinese's Beto are on the radar.
However, further spending for the Toffees could be restricted after it was revealed that an American investment firm had pulled out of buying a 25 per cent in Everton. According to the Daily Telegraph, Farhad Moshiri's attempts to sell a stake to MSP Sports Capital has collapsed at the 11th-hour.
As for on the pitch, Everton have failed to score or pick up a point from their opening two Premier League matches. They fell to a 1-0 defeat at home to Fulham on the opening weekend, before going down 4-0 at Villa Park, with a bottom-of-the-table clash against Wolves to come on Saturday afternoon.