OPINION
Duncan Ferguson has claimed that Everton 21-year-old Dominic Calvert-Lewin should be considered for England’s World Cup squad, and his statement proves that Sam Allardyce is currently misusing the forward.
In an interview with the Liverpool Echo, the Toffees coach revealed that he thought Calvert-Lewin was ready to feature for England’s senior side after working hard this season.
“I think he’s [Calvert-Lewin] got the potential, I think he’s a good young player and he’s working hard every day in training,” stated Ferguson, as quoted by the newspaper.
“He needs to add to his game, but he works hard and he’s a good kid.
“Why not? Why can’t he put in that bracket?”
Ferguson may have highlighted that Calvert-Lewin still needs to add more to his game, preferably goals, but his suggestion that he’s ready for World Cup glory, shows how good he is.
The 21-year-old forward has featured 41 times this season across all competitions, scoring eight goals in the process.
However, partly due to the capture of Cenk Tosun over the January window, Allardyce has opted to regularly keep Calvert-Lewin on the bench rather than name him as a member of his starting line-up.
The Toffees starlet has only completed 90 minutes in the league once in 2018, with him playing the full match against Burnley at the start of March.
While Allardyce may argue that he is simply managing the youngster’s fitness as he has been involved a lot this season, Calvert-Lewin has shown no signs of fatigue as of yet.
The 21-year-old proved he could be relied upon earlier in the campaign, ahead of Allardyce’s arrival, by regularly leading the line for his team.
Tosun has clearly found his stride in the Premier League so shouldn’t be dropped, but Calvert-Lewin is capable of flourishing in the team alongside him.
With Gylfi Sigurdsson out injured the 21-year-old could take up a place on the Toffees’ left-flank, which he’s capable of doing, and could really help the team in the games that remain.
So as Ferguson believes Calvert-Lewin is ready to be recognised by England’s senior team, Allardyce must start to unleash the forward more between now and the end of the season.