Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s hopes of playing in the World Cup ended over the weekend when he was cut from the England squad after the Uruguay game.
The Leeds striker came on in the second half and struggled to impress in his first appearance for the Three Lions in more than five years. Importantly, he also missed a sitter when he headed the ball wide just yards from the goal.
Calvert-Lewin was sent back over the weekend, and the forward is now almost certain not to make the cut for the 26-man England squad for the World Cup.
Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker have ripped apart the performance from the Leeds striker and the other England forwards in the 1-1 draw against Uruguay.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s World Cup hopes were ripped apart
Shearer and Lineker were talking about the England performance against Uruguay, and the former lamented the lack of quality centre-forwards at the moment.
He stressed that Calvert-Lewin should have done much better to convert the chance he received after waiting years to get that opportunity to play for England again.
Lineker insisted that the Leeds striker should have scored from that chance, which was described as ‘an absolute sitter’ by Shearer.
Shearer said on the Rest Is Football podcast: “There’s a lack of forwards for England, I know Calvert-Lewin had a great opportunity that he missed in the second half, but it is alarming the lack of centre forwards who are top quality centre forwards that we’ve got in our country.
“For Ollie Watkins the other night, with those two playing, Solanke did alright, Calvert-Lewin came on and missed an absolute sitter, I guess he was sat at home thinking ‘I need to be in the squad.’
“Because when you get a chance, you’ve got to score as a striker.”
Leeds need him to get over this disappointment
Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s World Cup hopes may be over, but Leeds United still need him firing as they battle to stay in the Premier League.
He’s scored 10 league goals this season, but the well has dried up since early February. Recent games have seen him miss some big chances too, including a penalty against Crystal Palace.
| Dominic Calvert-Lewin – Leeds United 2025/26 Season Stats | |
|---|---|
| Matches | 28 |
| Goals | 10 |
| Assists | 1 |
| Minutes Played | 2,121 |
With goals now a real concern, Leeds could need around seven points from their final seven matches to stay up, and that makes Calvert-Lewin’s return to form crucial.
He’ll have to put the England disappointment behind him quickly and rediscover his sharpness if Leeds are to avoid the drop.
