The Leeds United striker endured a difficult debut during Tuesday's Carabao Cup defeat to Sheffield Wednesday.
Former striker Gabby Agbonlahor expects Dominic Calvert-Lewin to take around one month to get up to speed following a difficult Leeds United debut on Tuesday.
Among that trio was Calvert-Lewin, who also missed three good chances to score in normal time after replacing Lukas Nmecha. The 28-year-old will have been happy to get minutes under the belt but looked very much like a player who hasn’t started a game since January 25 and was without a club for two months before joining Leeds.
Those missed chances proved crucial and drew some criticism from fans, albeit Calvert-Lewin was not the only player to disappoint on a miserable evening at Hillsborough. And former Aston Villa frontman Agbonlahor has hit back at those seemingly expecting the striker to hit the ground running after such a long period out of action.
“He missed a few chances, but you can’t criticise someone who hasn’t played much football in the last year,” Agbonlahor told talkSPORT. “He had problems at Everton, you’ll get the idiots laughing at him because he’s missed a few sitters.
“And he skied his penalty, but it’s probably going to take him a month, playing a few more U21 games to get up to speed. Then he will be in a much better position to help Leeds.”
Leeds United’s attacking struggles laid bare vs Sheffield Wednesday
Leeds will hope Calvert-Lewin can rediscover his sharpness in front of goal sooner, rather than later, with goals an obvious early issue this season. In three matches, the Whites have only found the net once and that came via a late Nmecha penalty against Everton.
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Last season’s top-scorer and Championship Golden Boot winner Joel Piroe is yet to open his account for the 2025/26 campaign and has now failed to score in 14 of his last 15 appearances. He did, however, hit four goals in the other game, a 6-0 thumping of Stoke City back in April.
Calvert-Lewin has at least proved fit enough to contribute to his new team’s attack and got in plenty of positive positions against Wednesday, albeit his finishing left a lot to be desired. The August 15 arrival will be hoping to get more minutes under his belt and a first Leeds appearance at Elland Road on Saturday, when his side host Newcastle United back in the Premier League.
In a message on Instagram following Tuesday’s defeat, the former Everton striker wrote: “Very proud to make my debut for this great club tonight, but also disappointed with how it went. I came here to give everything and that’s what I will continue to do. Can’t wait to see you all at Elland Road.”
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