Frank Lampard confirms 'freak injury' to Dominic Calvert-Lewin
By Tom Gott
Everton manager Frank Lampard has confirmed that striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin will miss his side's start to the season after suffering what is understood to be a knee injury.
With Richarlison leaving for Tottenham earlier this summer, Calvert-Lewin is now one of just two senior strikers on the books at Goodison Park alongside Salomon Rondon.
The England international managed just 17 Premier League appearances last season as a toe injury and a handful of other fitness issues tormented his campaign, and now Lampard has confirmed that Calvert-Lewin will not be around when Everton get their season underway against Chelsea.
"We are assessing Dom’s injury," Lampard said. "No timeframe has been confirmed and we are pretty sure what level it is so we are hopeful it is not long-term.
"We’ll miss him for Chelsea. He was looking in great physical condition and was training really well. It was a freak injury in training, which does happen.
"It’s a shame but we have to find the solutions to keep ourselves strong without Dominic before he returns."
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According to Paul Joyce, Calvert-Lewin is facing around four weeks on the sidelines, but The Telegraph have gone with a six-week estimate and other sources have suggested the striker could be missing for the next three months.
Should Calvert-Lewin miss a significant portion of the season, Everton could choose to step up their pursuit of a new striker this summer.
90min understands that Chelsea duo Michy Batshuayi and Armando Broja are on the Toffees' radar.