Dominic Calvert-Lewin's England chance as common myth busted — Leeds Live 17/9/26

The Leeds United striker was snubbed for the World Cup but a home European Championships is still within reach

Isaac Johnson Leeds United reporter

Dominic Calvert-Lewin was clear of what last season signified for him amid his 14-goal haul. “It was more just to prove myself right,” he told BBC Radio Leeds last month.

"I believe in my ability and what I’m capable of on a football pitch. Last season was about putting myself back where I belong.”

The past 12 months have witnessed an incredible revival from the striker. By kick-off against Crystal Palace on Sunday, it will have been a full year since his first goal for Leeds United - a header against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

On one sense, not much has changed since - the 29-year-old rising high to nod off Jayden Bogle to put Leeds 2-0 up against Newcastle United on Monday. But in most other senses, Calvert-Lewin’s trajectory has U-turned.

He will have learned whether he has made the latest England squad by the time he walks out at Elland Road again on Sunday.

Thomas Tuchel names his first post-World Cup squad 48 hours beforehand, and the shouts of a re-entry for Calvert-Lewin have peaked once more after his latest performance.

Tuchel - a close friend of Daniel Farke's - was the manager to hand the attacker his first England cap for nearly five years in March. Ultimately, he would not select him for the squad that mattered most over the summer.

Yet Calvert-Lewin will still hold hope he can play a part in a home European Championships in two years' time. He will indeed be 31 years old by then, but his game does not rely on pace and explosion that the youth are blessed with, but instead anticipation and poaching.

And Farke has highlighted how the modern striker does not usually peak until after 30 anyway, using the England captain and Ballon d’Or favourite as an example.

“He started to score goals from [ages] 24 to 25 - before, not that much,” he said referencing Harry Kane, suggesting this mirrors Calvert-Lewin’s own career.

“Right now hopefully he [Calvert-Lewin] comes into his prime and he can deliver further on. And if he delivers further on then it becomes a topic again for the national team and hopefully then for the next tournament.

"But it’s all about performance, all about consistency for the club and if he works further on like this he has a good chance to shine exactly in this way.”

Consistency is indeed the key. While this season is just as much about staying fit as it was last - perhaps even more so now with only Lukas Nmecha as his sole back-up - making sure he cuts out his barren spells is important.

In his first 11 games, he only scored once but that was due to finding his rhythm having arrived late in pre-season, all while getting used to his new teammates and a new system - not easy after nine years at one club, Everton.

He then went on a scoring spree, netting seven goals in six games between November and December, eventually earning Premier League player of the month for the latter. But then just one goal in 10 league matches followed.

And while he ended the season with four goals in his final six Premier League fixtures, it was this prior barren run that had perhaps done the damage rather than his missed chance during his England outing against Uruguay.

There is a common theory that the Three Lions are not a crossing team - but the country ranked third out of all 48 World Cup teams for accurate crosses per match (5.4).

Most were from corners - Declan Rice succeeding in finding a teammate 36.4% of the time (only bettered by Lionel Messi’s 36% and the 35.6% of Canada’s Stephen Eustaquio).

And the team’s overall crossing success rate of 26.2% was higher than champions Spain and semi-finalists France.

Of course, Leeds themselves are big on set-pieces - last season’s tally of 23 goals from dead-balls sitting as the third-best in the Premier League. They sit joint-second so far this term having netted thrice.

So there is a role for Calvert-Lewin to play for England, especially in this new age of set-piece love-ins. An important reality Tuchel also needs to stomach is that Kane will turn 35 during the Euros.

Calvert-Lewin himself will not be his long-term successor given his own age and any role at the next major tournament would most likely only be as a rotation. But he himself will be aware of that.

Ivan Toney was a daring selection from Tuchel at the last tournament, the coach citing his ability to take a penalty. The Saudi-based striker was brought on for the final throngs of the semi-final defeat to Argentina.

Given his little usage (a handful of minutes before the third-place play-off), one is allowed to ponder whether Calvert-Lewin - who has scored 12 of his 14 senior penalties - would have been a more wise selection amid their crossing knack. Or why else was Dan Burn shoved up front on occasion?

Needless to say, Calvert-Lewin also offers something different with his hold-up play and bolshy strength.

But indeed, it is ultimately goals that count most, hence why Farke called for consistency. Keep up his current goal-every-other-game ratio (three in six) and he's well on his way.

Calvert-Lewin’s self belief has not been dented by this summer’s World Cup snub. “I’m as motivated as ever,” he added to radio.

“Particularly behind my decision to join Leeds and change my environment. That gave me all the motivation I needed in this part of my career.

“For me, I’ve always been quite intrinsically motivated to try and achieve as much as I can. To have that fire in my belly again is nice. It’s there again this season.”