Lampard on Delph & Mina injury return, Calvert-Lewin frustration

Everton’s continued existence in the Premier League continues to get more dire by the day, and their trajectory is a complete opposite of tomorrow’s opponents Newcastle who are now heading up the table after having previously occupied the murky depths that the Toffees now live in.

Speaking during his pre-match press conference earlier today, manager Frank Lampard gave an injury update on his squad, starting with long term absentees Fabian Delph and Yerry Mina.

“Delph we’re hoping the other side of the international break. With a bit of luck we can integrate him into training during that period.

“Mina is still a few weeks away still, at best. So that one is slightly parked but he’s working very, very hard. It’s good to see.”

Dominic Calvert-Lewin reportedly missed the Sunday loss against Wolves with an illness that kept Jarrad Branthwaite and Nathan Patterson out too. Yesterday the striker had to appear in court in Chester for a traffic speeding incident from last August.

“Dominic trained lightly yesterday on the back of not feeling great. We’ll see how he is this afternoon and then look toward the squad for tomorrow.

“Anyone who’s had that sort of thing, when it’s your job and profession to be on the edge and the limit physically, that’s why we have to assess it closely.”

After starting off the season on a tear, Calvert-Lewin has been plagued with injury issues, consistently missing time over the campaign as the Blues went from a hot start to faltering down the table before it turning into a full-spiral towards the relegation zone.

“It’s frustrating because he’s a top player and a really good lad. He wants to do the right thing and he wants to play and get back to the form he’s been at over the last couple of seasons, where he’s been prolific in the Premier League.

“It’s not easy with injuries, coming back and then there’s another one. I walked into that situation. So my main thing with Dominic is, help him in that sense because he wants to do it, and also practically on the pitch because he wants to get fitter and stronger because he’s had these setbacks due to injuries.

“That’s so important to us because the way we want to play, and what we demand off a striker is a lot. It’s not just goals, it’s everything with and without the ball. He’ll need that little period of time getting fit, but we haven’t got loads of time. We need him soon.”