DCL TALKS OF PRESSURE THAT LED TO TEARS

DOMINIC Calvert-Lewin has opened up on his battles with injury and the weight of responsibility he felt to help Everton through the club's recent struggles.

- BY JOE THOMAS Everton FC Correspondent

The striker said he found himself crying on his bedroom floor on his birthday in the final throes of the 2021/22 season, desperate to try and make a difference to the team's plight but unable to because of injury.

He recovered to score the goal that, weeks later, confirmed Everton's Premier League survival as his diving header secured a memorable comeback win over Crystal Palace on the penultimate game of the season.

It was a campaign that had begun well for Calvert-Lewin, the forward scoring in the opening three league games and being called up to the England squad.

But that form came at a cost as he played through the pain of a broken toe.

Reflecting on that period on the High Performance Podcast, he recalled having to pull out of the international squad and, as he fought to compensate for his injury, picked up the first of a series of quadriceps problems that have since blighted him.

Calvert-Lewin suffered an injury-plagued campaign that year, one that started under Rafa Benitez and ended with Frank Lampard guiding the Blues to safety in the final week of the season.

He did play a role in between his setbacks, combining with Alex Iwobi to create the stoppage time goal that gave 10-man Everton a priceless win over Newcastle United that March and then scoring the opening goal in what went on to be a frustrating home defeat to Brentford.