Daniel Farke 'not ready' to judge Calvert Lewin after calling him "one of the best English strikers"
Calvert-Lewin, has defied his critics since joining Leeds by scoring nine goals in 20 Premier League appearances
Last updated 26th Jan 2026
Daniel Farke described Dominic Calvert-Lewin as "one of the best English strikers around" but is reluctant to judge him until the end of the season.
Calvert-Lewin, who has defied his critics since joining Leeds as a free signing in August by scoring nine goals in 20 Premier League appearances, will make his first return to former club Everton on Monday when the two sides meet at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
A succession of injuries dogged Calvert-Lewin in the latter stages of his nine-year spell at Everton - he scored 57 goals in 239 league appearances - but he has kick-started his career at Elland Road.
Farke said: "Dominic, like (fellow striker) Lukas (Nmecha) and a few others, are on a really good path. But I'm not willing to sing his praises after a good five or six months. I'm willing to sing his praises after a really good season.
"Dominic is, for me, an outstanding striker, one of the best English strikers around and he doesn't have to prove it at Premier League level anymore. He has way too many games and way too many goals.
"But he needs to deliver one top-class season in total for Leeds United and just six months have been played.
"He's on a good path, but if he stops scoring goals right now, delivering performances, then we will just speak about a solid season.
"I want to speak about a historic, second-to-none, outstanding season and for that I'm not willing to sing high praise about him right now. He has to keep going, like all the other players as well."