Daniel Farke was quick to praise one player in particular as Leeds United picked up a valuable point on the road against Brentford.
Those who travelled down to London from West Yorkshire on Sunday were not treated to the most entertaining game of football, but they, alongside Leeds boss Farke, will not be too concerned.
Having only managed to pick up one win from their first seven away fixtures this season, Leeds’ 1-1 draw with Brentford was a result almost anyone associated with United would have taken before kick-off and even more so after Jordan Henderson opened the scoring for the hosts.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin managed to bag an equaliser in the 82nd minute, and it was the forward who Farke waxed lyrical about after the game.
Daniel Farke makes bold Calvert-Lewin claim
Farke was not the only one to praise Calvert-Lewin’s towering header at the backpost, with Jamie Redknapp describing the equalising goal as a “thing of beauty.”
However, the Leeds boss went one step further than Redknapp, labelling Calvert-Lewin as “one of the best English strikers” in the Premier League when speaking to Match of the Day post-game.
“He’s a fantastic striker – it was never in doubt,” Farke said.
“His CV speaks for itself… unbelievable team-mate for the lads and an excellent striker for me, one of the best English strikers that we have here in the Premier League.
“Harry Kane is playing in Germany, but Dominic in the Premier League is definitely one of the top strikers. We are blessed to have him.”
The goal against Brentford was Calvert-Lewin’s fourth goal in as many Premier League outings, taking the 28-year-old’s tally up to five so far for the campaign.
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How is Calvert-Lewin performing compared to other English strikers in the Premier League?
With it being a World Cup year, naturally, there is plenty of speculation around who will be a part of Thomas Tuchel’s England squad come next summer.
Whilst Kane is almost guaranteed to be the first name on the team sheet when fit, there is certainly plenty of competition to be one of the backup forwards.
With 11 caps already to his name, Calvert-Lewin will undoubtedly be targeting his place on the plane, which seemed to be an unlikely proposition just a matter of weeks ago.
However, Calvert-Lewin has been one of the highest scoring English strikers in the Premier League so far this season, and due to his ability to be a physical presence and win headers, he could be an effective ‘Plan B’ for Tuchel, should he choose to call him up.
Top scoring English strikers in the Premier League so far this season:
- Danny Welbeck – 7 goals
- Dominic Calvert-Lewin – 5 goals
- Callum Wilson – 4 goals
If the former Everton man can keep up this form and, perhaps more importantly, stay fit, there is no reason why he could not be in with a chance of representing his country next summer.
