Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin remains unavailable for Arsenal clash

Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin remains sidelined for Wednesday’s Premier League meeting with Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.

The Englishman has struggled with injury issues this season, and as a result, he has been restricted to just 11 Premier League appearances.

Calvert-Lewin started the reverse fixture against Arsenal earlier this month, but he was forced off just after the hour mark.

The striker has not played since the 1-0 win over the Gunners, missing Everton’s last three league matches.

Having registered just 17 goals in 24 games, Everton are the lowest scorers in the Premier League this season, and they will be desperate for Calvert-Lewin to provide some much-needed firepower.

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However, when asked about Calvert-Lewin’s injury status in his pre-match press conference, Everton boss Sean Dyche said that “He is recovering”.

The former Burnley manager also admitted that he was unable to put a timescale on Calvert-Lewin’s recovery, with the striker continuing to work on his fitness at Everton’s Finch Farm training complex.

With Calvert-Lewin unavailable, Neal Maupay could retain his place in the starting lineup or Dyche may decide to bring Ellis Simms into the side.

James Garner, meanwhile, has not featured since November due to a back problem, but he stepped up his recovery by featuring in an Under-21s match last week alongside Nathan Patterson, who is working his way back from a knee injury.

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Commenting on the pair’s injury status, Dyche said: “They’ve been out a while, and they both need games. Jimmy is going well, he is getting fitter and stronger.

“There’s another [Under-21s] game this week, so I will try and get him in that one. Then you are saying after three months out you should be classed as being fit if, but he’s going well.”

They are also without the services of Andros Townsend, who has not played this season due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

The Merseyside club dropped into the relegation zone at the weekend following a 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa on Saturday, which represented Dyche’s first home defeat as Toffees boss.

The Toffees, who are one point adrift of safety, will be looking to claim their first away victory since October.

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