The forward said that he needed to change his approach to regain full fitness and that yoga had been crucial in that process
Dominic Calvert-Lewin has identified a Finch Farm figure who has been crucial to his recovery from persistent injury problems. The striker made just 17 Premier League appearances in each of the 2021/22 and 22/23 seasons as fitness issues threatened to hamper his career.
But last year he returned to sustained availability – something that has continued in the current campaign.
He credits Sean Dyche’s arrival nearly two years ago with helping his fight back from those problems but the Blues boss is just one of the many to have helped the 27-year-old.
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Another, more unsung hero, is club yoga instructor Sheila McVitty.
He said in an interview with club media: “I’ve known her for the past five years, and she’s been great not only just as a yoga teacher, but as a friend and someone who gives me that mental clarity I need. Every Thursday that window of an hour doing yoga and being able to relax, that’s a big part of my preparation going into a game.”
Calvert-Lewin’s yoga routine means that he would typically be working through one of his most important sessions of the week on the same day reporters would file into Finch Farm for the pre-match press conferences that, during his fitness battles, would often be dominated by questions over the striker’s condition.
For Dyche, the week-by-week queries were as constant as those about the state of the club behind the scenes across his early months in charge. But his insistence that Calvert-Lewin could only recover with proper patience was a factor in the successful recovery, the frontman believes.
Calvert-Lewin said: “When he first came in, he gave me that breathing space and just relieved the pressure, which I didn’t have previously. I appreciated that a lot and it kind of took the pressure off me and the rush to get back because he likes people to be fit-fit, as he would say.
“He made it clear quickly that until I was fit-fit, then I wasn’t going to play. I think ultimately I needed a proper pre-season to put it behind me. Having a full pre-season under my belt in the summer was the best thing for me and something I’ve really needed for a while.”
Calvert-Lewin has scored twice in the league this season, adding to the seven he grabbed across 32 appearances last year.
Those goals have typically come in flurries, such as the April run of form that saw him score a brave last minute penalty at Newcastle United, the crucial winner against Burnley and the second in Everton’s memorable Merseyside derby win at Goodison Park.
Calvert-Lewin, whose contract is due to expire in the summer, is intent on scoring the 13 goals needed to surpass Romelu Lukaku as Everton’s leading Premier League goalscorer – an ambition that suggests he is keen to stay at least beyond the January transfer window.
To reach that target he will need his form to match the new resilience of his fitness, something he is hopeful will remain.
He said: “My body feels great and it goes to show that in football things move quickly because it feels like that’s well behind me now. Now I’m here and [injury problems] have been pretty much forgotten about. Which is good for me. It means I’m in a good place. It means I’m strong, I’m fit and healthy, and people can see that.
“It means everything to be in that place again. There was a period of time where I hoped and prayed to be in this physical condition. That’s how hard it was, just fighting to be back.
“When I say about having the pressure and the expectation, that’s the time when I probably felt it the most because I wanted to help the team. I was itching to get back and that caused me to rush back. And the cycle went how it went. Football is everything to me. I am obsessed with football. During [the battle to get back to full fitness], I tried everything and it was a case of trying something and if that didn’t work, then I’d try something else. Not being able to play meant my obsession then became: ‘How can I make sure I’m healing faster?’ I think if anything now it can prove to be a blessing in disguise for me because it thrust me into learning more about nutrition, general health, yoga, meditation and things that are good for me. I think it will set me in good stead for the longevity of my career.”
