Re-ignited: Everton’s £19.8m-rated player has been transformed since Marco Silva’s sacking – opinion

Dominic Calvert-Lewin has now scored five goals in his past five Premier League games, a miraculous feat considering it had taken him 28 matches to record as many goals previously. The striker has been a player reborn since Duncan Ferguson took charge on a temporary basis and so far under Carlo Ancelotti’s stewardship that has not changed.

The Englishman has provided 100 per cent of the Toffees goals since the three-time Champions League winner was given the permanent job at Goodison Park and he could be their main man for the remainder of the current campaign.

Calvert-Lewin, valued at £19.8m (Transfermarkt), has already surpassed his previous best of six Premier League goal in a season, and he is on eight so far this term in 17 fewer appearances. He is also fast approaching his best season for goal contributions; back in 2017/18 he managed four goals and six assists and is only two off that total having been yet to record an assist this term. His increase in goalscoring output is at a phenomenally higher rate than before, thanks to starting alongside Richarlison in support. Previously he had been operating as a lone striker but moving to a front two under Ferguson has benefitted the 22-year-old tremendously.

The move to a pair up front coinciding with Calvert-Lewin’s form is no coincidence, in his previous 91 Premier League appearances he had scored 14 times. The Englishman’s strike rate was 0.15, which translates to a goal every 15 games. Meanwhile, since the change in formation, that rate has been boosted to 1, as he’s averaged a goal a game during this purple patch. Therefore, his record in front of goal is over six times better than it had been during his 91 Premier League matches.

After doubling his total for the season in the past five fixtures, Calvert-Lewin is now Everton’s top scorer this season, overtaking Brazilian teammate Richarlison on eight. He has left himself on the cusp of recording double figures for the first time in a Premier League campaign, and if he continues at his current rate, he is even in with a chance of surpassing the 20-goal mark. It is a spectacular transition from a player who looked all but out of the picture for any new manager arriving after Marco Silva’s sacking.