Frank Lampard has been left with major selection headache for Everton’s opening match of the Premier League season against Chelsea.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin will miss Saturday’s clash at Goodison Park after picking up an injury in training, with his boss confirming that the striker is set for a spell on the sidelines.
It remains to be seen who Everton start up front, with Salomon Rondon also unavailable due to suspension.
“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.”
Calvert-Lewin made a flying start to last season but then had much of his campaign disrupted by injury, only returning for the final few matches to help Everton avoid relegation to the Championship.
After being left out of a pre-season win over Blackpool as a precaution, Calvert-Lewin returned against Dynamo Kyiv and scored in that match, showing no signs of any injury problems. However, he has now suffered yet another setback.
The 25-year-old’s absence is even more problematic for Lampard now than it was last season. Richarlison, who stepped up as Everton’s main-man for much of the campaign, has left for Tottenham, while Rondon will serve the final match of a three-game suspenion for a red card.
It leaves the Toffees going into the season with no senior striker. Dele Alli may be called upon to play as a false nine, or the likes of Anthony Gordon and Demarai Gray could be used in more central positions.
