Everton have arranged another behind-closed-doors friendly for this week to give more playing time to the likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin as he nears readiness for Premier League action.
The Blues added a workout at Goodison Park against AC Monza to their pre-season schedule prior to the curtain-raiser against Sporting CP, matches that afforded Calvert-Lewin the chance to play his first minutes since recovering from his latest injury set-back suffered against Wolves in May, and have now set up another one against Manchester United.
The Everton striker played 45 minutes in each friendly but was not included in the match-day squad to face Fulham in the 2023-24 season-opener yesterday because, as Sean Dyche explained afterwards, he had not yet completed his rehabilitation in time.
Dyche suggested in his post-match press conference that Calvert-Lewin's patient rehab is now over and that he can take the next step towards featuring in a Premier League game this week with the scheduled practice match that will also benefit Vitalii Mykolenko and Arnaut Danjuma who are also short on match fitness.
“We’re playing a game and there’s a number of players, not just Dom, that need to play in that game," the manager said. "Dom’s different because he’s finishing his rehab but some of the other players need minutes because they need to play having missed chunks of pre-season — Myko and Arnie, people like that, they need football.”
Everton travel to Aston Villa next Sunday for their second match of the new season looking to pick up their first points after the disappointing reverse against Fulham in a game they dominated in terms of chances but failed to convert.
Reader Comments (27)
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2 Posted 14/08/2023 at 08:31:32
3 Posted 14/08/2023 at 08:47:47
4 Posted 14/08/2023 at 09:28:19
What a joke of a club we are.
5 Posted 14/08/2023 at 12:37:56
No one has come in for the player yet, but plenty of clubs trying to get Tom Cannon in, do you think they know something we do not know.
6 Posted 14/08/2023 at 13:19:23
That means there's a reasonable chance we don't actually buy a new striker but rely on Calvert-Lewin, Chermiti, Maupay and Cannon (and Danjuma who is versatile) for the striker positions.
If Cannon is as good as many on here believe, that may even make some sense.
7 Posted 14/08/2023 at 13:31:07
8 Posted 14/08/2023 at 13:37:32
The Manchester Evening News understands United will play Everton just a day after facing Wolves in the Premier League on Monday night, with the game viewed as a chance for fringe and younger players to get minutes.
United and Everton are understood to have a healthy relationship and the two clubs played a behind-closed-doors friendly at Carrington in December. The game ended 1-1 and both clubs agreed not to release further details about the contest.
The same agreement, which meant even club TV crews were absent, is set to place be in place for Tuesday's meeting.
Everton came close to relegation from the Premier League last season but survived after Sean Dyche's appointment. They began the new 2023-24 campaign on Saturday afternoon with a 1-0 defeat against Fulham at Goodison Park
– Source: Manchester Evening NewsWonder if we'll end up with McGuire and Onana ends up at United?
9 Posted 14/08/2023 at 13:40:30
10 Posted 14/08/2023 at 13:45:12
11 Posted 14/08/2023 at 14:45:46
Oh for the days when there was no table until 5pm on the 3rd Saturday of the season – by which time, all clubs had played 3 matches.
12 Posted 14/08/2023 at 14:49:57
13 Posted 14/08/2023 at 15:10:11
14 Posted 14/08/2023 at 15:28:51
When was that, Phil?
15 Posted 14/08/2023 at 15:45:08
Does my head in when for example Arsenal have played at 3 pm and won and now have one more point than City who are kicking off at 5:30 pm and "City have a chance to return to the top of the table if they can beat Luton Town". If they both played at 3 pm, then not the drama the TV companies need and crave.
Or we have had 3 different teams who have been top of the table this weekend – only because they played their games at different times so some jackass at Sky or BT can big up how exciting the title race has become and state how sure it is going down to the wire as we come to the August Bank Holiday fixtures.
16 Posted 14/08/2023 at 15:52:17
I didn't need to worry, as we claimed No 1 with a home win against Palace.
17 Posted 14/08/2023 at 16:08:28
I really don't remember that at all: late '60s was when I first really studied the tables. I guess that detail passed me by.
18 Posted 14/08/2023 at 16:22:57
I was always taught that the table after six matches were played gave a reasonable indication of what sort of season a club may have, I have been too scared to look at a table for so long now, due to Everton, that we eat our dinner off the arm of the chair.
19 Posted 14/08/2023 at 16:34:42
That first six games thing – don't apply it to 2020-21!
20 Posted 14/08/2023 at 16:54:25
21 Posted 14/08/2023 at 17:05:55
Nice that there was an actual stable schedule too. Could've been 10 fixtures last Saturday at 3pm, to open the season, but we can't be having that now.
22 Posted 14/08/2023 at 17:24:17
Hopefully Dyche will start him beside Tarkowski next Sunday. I wonder will Greenwood be playing? If we looked for him on loan, would it be a step too far, for a top striker?
23 Posted 14/08/2023 at 19:23:27
24 Posted 15/08/2023 at 16:39:34
That's why relations between the clubs are said to be so good, like between Russia and Belarus.
25 Posted 15/08/2023 at 17:44:12
When will Calvert-Lewin be ''fully fit'' (if ever)?
If not, then how will Harrison and Chermiti be utilised and when?
Dyche has a real conundrum but let's hope the right decision prevails in the next game at Villa as another loss will really piss us all off.
Will the seemingly permanent absentees have their futures sorted out, ie, Gbamin, Gomes and Alli?
26 Posted 15/08/2023 at 18:16:00
A few mentions of Greenwood above. Absolutely not for me after hearing the recording. Awful. Can only see him going abroad as don't think any club in the UK would touch him. Even Man Utd fans are protesting about his possible return to their squad.
27 Posted 15/08/2023 at 18:32:31
As for Greenwood, he's a cracking player – right up there with the likes of Saka and Foden, but I'm with you, Nick. I don't want him at the club.
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1 Posted 14/08/2023 at 00:27:16