Dominic Calvert-Lewin is a must starter in this Everton team

Everton were amongst the biggest spenders in England during the summer, spending around the £140m mark to put the club amongst the contenders for the league title. However, a run of bad results has been met with severe backlash from both Everton supporters and from various media outlets.

Despite adding players with proven quality in the likes of Wayne Rooney, Gylfi Sigurðsson, Sandro Ramirez and Davy Klassen to the Everton attack, it is the young Dominic Calvert-Lewin who looks like the player Ronald Koeman needs to have in this Everton side.

Calvert-Lewin arrived at Goodison Park in August last year with a lot of support from previous managers with his attitude being the main talking point. The Everton faithful were introduced to the industrious front-man in December last season during the 2-1 victory against Arsenal, and throughout the campaign, they would see glimpses of brilliance from the promising forward, predominantly from the bench.

The under-20 World Cup during the summer was where Calvert-Lewin really made a name for himself after scoring the only goal in the final as England triumphed. The 20-year-old has also enjoyed a bright start to the season, earning praise for his performances thus far in the season.

And now, Calvert-Lewin is making a strong case for his inclusion in Ronald Koeman’s starting eleven. His brace in the 3 nil home win against Sunderland in the EFL Cup was his first double for the club and his confidence really looks to be growing with every appearance in an Everton shirt.

This performance by Everton looked more vibrant compared to previous games; the youthful energy of Tom Davies combined with Nikola Vlasic, Jonjoe Kenny along with Dominic Calvert Lewin. They have made a real statement to Ronald Koeman and the rest of Everton squad. The big dilemma for Koeman is in the final third with regard to what the best combination he could employ. But as it stands, the one guaranteed starter, currently, has to be Calvert-Lewin.

Calvert-Lewin enjoyed a memorable game against Sunderland where the Everton youngsters shone

The versatility that the England under 21 international brings to the attack of Everton is vital. He has the ability to play as the main striker, the number 10 or in either of the wide positions. The most important trait that Everton lack is pace and Calvert-Lewin has that in abundance.

Arguably, Everton’s best performances this season came in their narrow victory at home to Stoke in the opening weekend in which Rooney headed home from a Calvert-Lewin cross and the 1-1 draw and against Manchester City where the young forward played as the main striker dragging the Citizens all over the place. They really struggled to cope with his movement off the ball and down the channels.

Koeman, inevitably, is going to have to fit in the thus far uninspiring Gylfi Sigurðsson and Wayne Rooney into his strongest starting eleven. Right now there is no balance in the side and to help get the best out of these two players the key is to add a dynamic quick player upfront with them.

Replacing the goals of Romelu Lukaku was always going to be a massive task for this Everton team, but if they get this right, they will put themselves back into a good position to push on from some early season setbacks. The performance against Manchester United highlighted the need for someone to stretch the game for the team when they sit deep and are looking to counter with pace.

Wayne Rooney was isolated far too often in the recent hammering by Manchester United

The changing of the setup from 4-2-3-1 to the 3-4-3 in certain games will certainly be vital for the team. But if they keep Calvert-Lewin in this team, who knows how far this young man could go?

Could he potentially make a breakthrough to the senior England side? He could even propel himself into contention for the World Cup. But he needs to play in this Everton team and he needs to be deployed upfront to trouble centre-backs.

With the technical prowess of Rooney, Sigurðsson and Klassen playing freely in behind the young man, this would be a front-line which could trouble many teams within the Premier League and in the Europa League.