Everton boss sweating on Mina and Mykolenko injuries

After a superb away win at Leicester City on Sunday Everton manager Frank Lampard is waiting to hear the extent of injuries to two key defenders: Yerry Mina and Vitalii Mykolenko.

Mina and Mykolenko both left the field yesterday during the match as Everton held onto a 2-1 lead for three precious points away from home.

In particular, Mykolenko was again outstanding at left-back and as well as the now usual solid defending we’ve come to expect from the Ukrainian international, he also scored a superb goal with his sixth minute volley giving the Toffees’ an early lead.

The former Dynamo Kiev defender has had a difficult time settling into life in England for a number of reasons we’ve previously stated, but he has really begun to find his feet recently.

The full-back positions have been a headache for a while, especially the future of who will play right-back, but the left side of the defence also became an issue once it was clear Lucas Digne had fallen out with then manager Rafa Benitez earlier this season.

Digne left and Mykolenko signed on New Years Day and now he has made the left-back position his own as the campaign nears it’s conclusion.

As for Mina his injury is the more worrying not least because of his terrible history with injuries over the last few years.

The Colombian centre-back has spent nearly half of his Everton career since his move from Barcelona in 2018.

Despite all this, his ability as a defender makes him the Blues’ best defender and his leadership skills have also become increasingly essential.

It doesn’t seem a coincidence that recent results have improved so much when Mina has returned to the side. In particular, the number of goals conceded have dried up to some extent after a period where the team were conceding far too many cheap goals.

In fact Everton have only conceded two goals in their two matches against Leicester and beat Manchester United and Chelsea 1-0 at Goodison while only letting in two goals at Liverpool after a heroic effort in a game most (including me!) expected them to lose heavily.

So, Frank Lampard will be hoping that both of these players won’t be out for long, especially with another big game at Watford on Wednesday night. Let’s hope that these injuries don’t undermine the recent upturn in form as the crucial last four Premier League matches loom.