Marco Silva says striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin boasts all the attributes to be a “really important” figure in Everton’s future.

Calvert-Lewin has started Everton’s past five Premier League matches and visibly relished the responsibility of spearheading his team’s attack.

The 22-year-old won rave reviews following Everton’s 2-0 victory over Chelsea last month, the centre-forward’s compelling display leading former Toffees midfielder Leon Osman to claim Calvert-Lewin “gave a lesson in how to play number nine” to the Londoners’ esteemed strike pair of Gonzalo Higuain and Olivier Giroud.

Calvert-Lewin, who hit his seventh England Under-21 goal during the recent international break, has scored eight times in 17 starts for his club this term.

“Dominic is developing well and he is scoring goals, which is important to him,” said Silva, speaking in an exclusive, in-depth interview with evertontv.

<<<WATCH SILVA'S INTERVIEW IN FULL BY CLICKING ON THE VIDEO ABOVE. USERS OF THE EVERTON APP CAN NAVIGATE IN THE 'VIDEO' SECTION>>>

“It is his best season until now, when you look at the goals he has scored.

“There are more games to play, more good things for him to do.

“He is a player we believe in.

“He has the talent to achieve what I have told him is possible: he is already an important player for us and can be a really important player for us in the future.

“He is fast enough and strong when he is attacking behind. And when the game comes from wide, he is really strong with his head in the box.

“Of course, he has many things to improve – and he has the quality to improve.”

Manager Silva also outlined his vision for Richarlison, the Brazilian with 12 Premier League goals in his debut Everton season, and explained the motivation which underpins his own relentless work ethic.

The full interview, which includes Silva detailing why football is “more than a job, it is a passion,” is free to view at the top of this page.

Continuing on Calvert-Lewin, Silva was eager to recognise the strides taken this term by a player who had to wait until September for his first Premier League start under the manager following an injury-disrupted pre-season.

Equally, the former Sporting Lisbon boss is convinced there is significant room for improvement in a striker who is willing to invest the hard yards to fulfil his vast potential.

“He has that desire, yes,” said Silva.

“Of course, each player has his own personality and it is up to me to give him the right feedback.

“I am the first one to be pushing him because I feel he has this quality and capacity to achieve important things.

“But he is working hard, he is understanding what I need and want from him in that position, and developing many, many things in his game.

“He has made big improvements this season… he lost a big part of pre-season, which was an important moment for all the players with a new manager and new teammates, a chance to put their stamp on the squad.

“And he lost almost one month in that moment. But after that he started to fight. I started to know him better… when you look at Dominic, a young player, you can see he has very good skills for the position.”

Calvert-Lewin repeatedly stretched West Ham with his intelligent and positive running during Everton’s 2-0 success at London Stadium on Saturday.

He completed 26 sprints – more than Hammers starting strike pair Marko Arnautovic and Lucas Perez combined – and rained more attempts on goal [six] than any other player in the weekend’s Premier League fixtures.

Calvert-Lewin’s manager, though, insists he will continue challenging his young charge to add to his game.

“The connection with our midfielders is what I want more from Dominic, not just being the player waiting in the box for the cross from out wide,” added Silva.

“I want him connected with the midfield line in our game. In our defensive process, he is improving and knowing better what I want.

“And he is playing – the best way for the players to grow as footballers and to grow their confidence is to have the confidence of their manager.

“In this moment, he has my confidence because he is showing to me every day, he is able to do what I want.”

WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH MARCO SILVA AT THE TOP OF THIS PAGE. USER OF THE EVERTON APP CAN NAVIGATE VIA THE 'VIDEO' SECTION.