Gabby Agbonlahor makes honest Dominic Calvert-Lewin prediction after dismal Leeds United debut

Dominic Calvert-Lewin had said all the right things after signing for Leeds United. His praise for the fans, his clear delight at moving to Elland Road, his excitement at a new chapter in his career.

Following his arrival, the 28-year-old has been undergoing a mini pre-season in Daniel Farke’s words. It comes after Calvert-Lewin was not with a club during pre-season and the star needs to get up to speed.

Penning a three-year contract, Leeds have placed their faith in an England international who at his best, can be one of the Premier League’s best strikers. However, it has been a long time since he showed that.

First things first, Calvert-Lewin needs to build his fitness and get match sharpness back. It is why Calvert-Lewin was not included in squads against Everton and Arsenal, but he was against Sheffield Wednesday.

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Gabby Agbonlahor makes Dominic Calvert-Lewin prediction

Coming off the bench at Hillsborough, Calvert-Lewin got himself in the right positions as Leeds searched for an equaliser and then a winner. But the Everton icon missed three glorious chances to score for Leeds.

Then, in the penalty shootout, Calvert-Lewin blazed the ball over the bar as Leeds lost 3-0. Calvert-Lewin has almost apologised to fans in an Instagram post, while Farke reminded fans Calvert-Lewin needs time.

Speaking on TalkSPORT on Wednesday morning (27/08, 6.40AM), Gabby Agbonlahor believes it will be a month before Calvert-Lewin is operating at a level where he can help Leeds in the Premier League.

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“He missed a few chances, Al. But you can’t criticise someone who hasn’t played much football in the last year. He had problems at Everton, you’ll get the idiots laughing at him because he’s missed a few sitters.

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“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,” Agbonlahor summed up.

Who starts up front for Leeds United against Newcastle United?

Tuesday night will have provided Farke with more problems than solutions. More question marks than answers, as Leeds failed to beat Sheffield Wednesday’s kids. Joel Piroe was among those to struggle.

Interestingly, Piroe played the full 90 minutes against Wednesday while Lukas Nmecha was replaced just before the hour mark. Clearly, Calvert-Lewin is not ready just yet and Piroe has struggled this season.

Name Games (Starts) Minutes Shots (On Target) Goals FotMob rating Joel Piroe 3 (3) 226 4 (1) 0 6.66 Lukas Nmecha 3 (1) 44 5 (2) 1 6.51 Dominic Calvert-Lewin 1 (0) 32 4 (0) 0 6.40

Farke has three to choose from up top and ultimately, only one of those has scored in the Premier League. Surely, it is time to hand Nmecha his first-ever Premier League start against Newcastle.

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