{"id":1438032,"date":"2026-03-12T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-12T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?post_type=features&p=1438032"},"modified":"2026-03-11T16:15:28","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T16:15:28","slug":"dominic-calvert-lewin-interview-leeds-england-everton","status":"publish","type":"features","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/dominic-calvert-lewin-interview-leeds-england-everton\/","title":{"rendered":"“From the moment I joined, it felt like home” – Leeds United’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin talks to Squawka on career so far"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Leeds United striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin spoke to Squawka about his career so far.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 28-year-old recalled coming through the ranks at boyhood club Sheffield United, before making the move to Everton and the responsibilities there. Calvert-Lewin also spoke about the impact a non-league loan had on his career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Calvert-Lewin looked back on his England experience at Euro 2020 and being back in the conversation for the 2026 World Cup squad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a Sheffield boy and Sheffield United fan, what was it like to come through the club’s academy? Do you feel like you put extra pressure on yourself to succeed because it was your boyhood club?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

It seems like a long time ago now, but when I finally got the chance to play in the first team, I did put a lot of pressure on myself. Because it was my boyhood club. My dad\u2019s a Sheffield United fan, I had friends who were Sheffield United fans. So it was quite tough, actually, being a young lad making my debut, I probably wasn\u2019t playing as free as I would have liked. But it was obviously a great experience nonetheless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like a lot of players breaking through, you spent some time in non-league and League Two. How do you think that helped shape you as a player in your early years?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

It was pivotal. And I\u2019d urge any young player to get out there and get experience in men\u2019s football as early as possible. That was really the catalyst for me to where I first became a centre-forward. Because I was a central midfielder before that, not too long before I went to non-league. And I went there as a striker, scored goals and it gave me all the confidence I needed to drive me on. So for me, that period in non-league will always be a pivotal part of my journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What were your initial thoughts when Everton came calling in 2016, if you can remember? Was it hard to move away from Sheffield United?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Well actually, at the time I was in the first team, but I moved down the pecking order. I think they had just brought in three or four experienced strikers at the time at that level. So I knew my game time was going to be limited and I was actually trying to get out on loan that summer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I first found out about the Everton interest, I was on holiday in Ayia Napa with my mates and I got a call from my agent and I couldn\u2019t believe it. At the time I was buzzing, and it was surreal. Things went up and down for the next six to eight weeks, and I didn\u2019t end up signing until deadline day. It was on and then it was off, and then it was back on again two days before deadline day. But I remember thinking, as soon as I heard that they were interested, that I had to go there.<\/p>\n\n\n

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    Your paths didn\u2019t cross for too long, but did you learn anything from Romelu Lukaku during your early time playing and training alongside him at Everton?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    Again, a surreal experience. When I first joined and got into the first team much quicker than I thought I would, because I joined as an under-23 player. So to play up close with Rom was great. I just remember how good he was in front of goal, and how hard he could kick the ball. I\u2019ve never seen someone sidefoot a ball so hard in my life. And that\u2019s why I remember thinking as a young kid, that\u2019s the level I\u2019ve got to get to. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    And he was great with me. I remember one thing, when I think I\u2019d come on as a sub against Hull away, I remember it quite vividly actually. A ball had been crossed in and someone had unsighted me, and I headed it and headed it wide, and it would have been the winner. And I was gutted, and I got on the bus, I was upset, and he was getting on the bus and he just said, \u2018I miss chances, you\u2019re going to miss chances, but score the next one, it\u2019s alright\u2019. And he didn\u2019t have to do that. So I\u2019ve always been a supporter of Rom from the moment I started playing with him, but even more so for that point. I appreciated that gesture a lot. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In just your second season you quickly became Everton\u2019s first-choice striker, still aged just 20. What was that like, having to deal with the pressure and expectations at such a young age?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    It was tough. But I\u2019m always someone that likes a challenge and I believed that I belonged there. But if I look back from where I am now, I was still very much raw. I hadn\u2019t been a centre-forward for all that long really, probably for two or three years I\u2019d been playing as a striker. So to then be going and doing it in the biggest, most-watched league in the world was difficult, under the watchful eyes of the Evertonians as well.I had a lot to prove, but I stayed mentally strong and resilient in my pursuit of getting to where I wanted to be. And that led me to where I am now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    During that time you also made your England debut and went on to make two appearances at Euro 2020. How was that experience?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    It was amazing. And I probably didn\u2019t appreciate at the time how amazing it was. It\u2019s only since it\u2019s been a long time since I did it, that I grew to appreciate even more what I\u2019d achieved and how, in doing that, it\u2019s what I wanted to achieve from being a young boy. But when you\u2019re in the moment, you don\u2019t really take it in as much as you do after, and as much as you do when it\u2019s not there anymore. So the time away from the England squad just made me appreciate that moment even more, and just be grateful about it.<\/p>\n\n\n

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      After the highs of 2019-20 and 2020-21, frequent injuries started to hit. How hard was it to overcome those problems, both physically and mentally, to become the striker you are today?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

      In moments, it was really difficult. When I had all that momentum off the back of the Euros, off the back of my best season, to have everything put to a stop. It was really difficult to deal with. And again, I\u2019m thinking in hindsight, it\u2019s shaped me into the man and player I am today. And I wouldn\u2019t change a thing. I\u2019m very grateful for all my experiences, but most of all, I\u2019m grateful for the choices I made in those moments that I chose to keep pushing and keep striving to get back. To get back every time you have a setback. I always knew that there\u2019d be a comeback, and eventually you will prevail if you just keep going. If I would have down tools and stopped, I wouldn\u2019t be sitting here having this conversation with you now. So yeah, I persevered and kept going.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      What caught your eye about Leeds when looking for a new club in the summer?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

      The size of the club, but also the opportunity that was at hand. They were looking for a number nine, and I was looking to be the main number nine. And once the conversation started, I just got the feeling that I\u2019d been looking for the whole summer of a place that could feel like home. And from the moment I joined, it felt like home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      It took me a while to get going, but I knew I would get going. And I\u2019ve just been proven right the longer time has gone on, in the way that the fans have taken me in, the performances I\u2019ve been able to put in and repay that. It\u2019s been a great feeling and probably the most enjoyable season that I\u2019ve played.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      You\u2019re in some of the best form of your Premier League career. How important has Daniel Farke been to getting you back to your best?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

      I think it would have been difficult to do what I\u2019ve done without the support of everybody involved, and particularly the manager. From the moment I joined, I could feel the trust that he was putting in me. I think the relationship between the manager and the number nine is unique, because you can dictate outcomes at the end of the day. And a manager can be largely reliant on how well his number nine is doing. So for him to put that faith in me and think that I\u2019m the right man for the job, to come and be his number nine, I appreciated that. And then as the season\u2019s gone on, he\u2019s trusted and had faith in me. And I\u2019m thankful that thus far I\u2019ve been able to repay it and still recognise there\u2019s work to be done.<\/p>\n\n\n

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