Everton striker and England under-20s World Cup hero Dominic Calvert-Lewin has revealed how a loan spell at non-league Stalybridge Celtic helped toughen him up for the big time, with one bad challenge requiring him to go to hospital.
Calvert-Lewin, who has signed a new long-term deal at Goodison ahead of Monday night’s game against Swansea, was just 17 when Sheffield United shipped him on loan to Stalybridge in the Conference North.
‘It was a humbling experience. We trained on a leisure centre pitch they’d rented for a week and was playing alongside people who had been in the league, while others had jobs and played.