Dominic Calvert-Lewin Everton injury update as FA concussion protocol explained

Everton are again set to be without Dominic Calvert-Lewin for a spell.

The striker has a suspected fractured cheekbone following a collision with Emi Martinez in the Toffees’ 4-0 loss to Aston Villa. Calvert-Lewin played on after the clash but could not continue before being withdrawn in the 37th minute.

Calvert-Lewin was taken to hospital, with manager Sean Dyche revealing the 26-year-old had blurred vision. Dyche was hopeful that Calvert-Lewin’s issue was ‘just a knock’.

But the former Sheffield United centre-forward must now follow the FA concussion protol before given the green light to return.

Guidelines state that in an enhanced care setting (ie a professional club) that ‘the whole return to play process must be supervised by a suitably qualified doctor within a structured concussion management programme It must be emphasised again, that these are minimum return to play times and in players who do not recover fully within these timeframes, return to play times will need to be longer. The pathway begins at midnight on the day of injury’.

There is then a gradual return to match action consisting of light exercise, football-specific exercise, non-contact training and full-contact practice.

Certainly, it’s a frustrating setback for Calvert-Lewin, who has been ravaged by injuries for the past two seasons. He managed just 17 appearances in the 2022-23 season, scoring two goals. Everton managed his fitness carefully during the pre-season period and Dyche omitted the England international from his squad for the 1-0 loss to Fulham on the opening day of this campaign.