Dominic Calvert-Lewin says Everton teammate Dele boasts the footballing attributes and “mental toughness” to emerge as a major player at Goodison Park.

Dele has been limited to six appearances off the bench since joining from Tottenham Hotspur in the closing hours of the winter transfer window.

He played 269 games and scored 67 goals in seven years with the London club. Dele has 37 England caps and was a mainstay of summer tournaments in 2016 and 2018.

The 25-year-old was used sparingly by his former club in the four months before leaving, however, and Frank Lampard is carefully managing Dele’s introduction to the Everton fold.

Striker Calvert-Lewin has encountered Dele at the height of his powers on multiple occasions.

And he is convinced the spiky midfielder is in the right place to unlock a prodigious talent that gained prominence nearly a decade ago, with a debut as a 16-year-old for first club MK Dons.

“Dele has settled really well and is working hard every day in training,” Calvert-Lewin told evertonfc.com.

“He has everything: athleticism, technique, aggression, he is big and tall and strong.

“It [Everton move] is a platform for him to rebuild his confidence and showcase what he is about.

“Everyone knows what Dele is capable of – perhaps the criticism comes from frustration because people know what he can do.

“He has played for England and in the Champions League and scored against Real Madrid.

“Those things load expectation onto his shoulders but he is big enough and old enough and strong enough to accept that and rise to the challenge.”

Dele made his Everton debut as a first-half substitute at Newcastle United, one day after completing the transfer north.

Five further appearances have added up to 104 minutes of action. There have been flashes of creativity and improvisation, notably in Goodison cameos against Leeds United and Manchester City.

But a player good enough to score 18 goals and supply nine assists in 37 Premier League games in 2016/17, to rock Real Madrid with a Champions League double the following season and, 12 months later, star in Spurs’ run to the final of the European competition, will always be judged unforgivingly.

For Calvert-Lewin, then, Dele’s decision to put his head above the parapet by making a high-profile switch, with the extra attention that brings, is a show of tremendous character.

“We are a similar age and I chat with him a lot, at breakfast and at lunch,” added Calvert-Lewin.

“He is not used to being up north, so he’s settling into his new surroundings, but he is enjoying it.

“People like to build someone up, then when they get there, tear them down.

“I respect his mental toughness and resolve to deal with that pressure.

“And I respect his decision to come here and take that risk to show people what he is about.

“I have no doubt he can do that and when he gets his opportunity, he will take it.

“People will always talk, no matter who you are and where you come from. I respect his mental toughness and I back him.”