Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Phil Jagielka may not be regular members of Marco Silva’s starting XI, but the duo helped to play a key role in Kieran Dowell’s move to Sheffield United, the young midfielder has revealed.
Dowell, himself, was not a key player on Merseyside before leaving on loan, and that could have been a deciding aspect in its own rights, as the 21-year-old now accepts that a lack of game time had begun to hamper his development.
But it was the impact of the English duo that paved the way for his Everton departure, thanks mostly to the strong bond he has built with his fellow Under 21 international and the experience Jagielka had with his former side.
In an interview with the Blade’s club website, Dowell claimed: “Before I came, I spoke a lot with Dom [Calvert-Lewin] and also Phil Jagielka, both know this club inside out and I still speak nearly every day with Dom.
“I’ve been through quite a lot with him in a relatively short time. Jags had a bit more to say, he’s been a two-club man with Sheffield United and Everton and he still speaks fondly about the Blades, so that helped.”
As for his development, the 21-year-old added: “I played a couple of times for Everton in the early weeks of the season, but since then I’ve only been playing in the reserves and for England U21s, which is obviously broken up throughout the season. You need a run of games.”
Dowell’s outings for Silva indeed came early in the campaign, as he twice featured in the EFL Cup, to bring his Everton tally to five senior games.
His future is still likely to be at Goodison Park for the meantime, though, as the Portuguese has been quoted before as saying that Dowell is an “important player” to him.