Dyche now ‘doesn’t trust’ Everton’s £17m star at Goodison Park.
Vitalii Mykolenko, Everton’s defender, has battled at times during his stay at Goodison Park.
Everton defender Vitalii Mykolenko may struggle to establish himself as a regular under Sean Dyche, according to journalist Paul Brown, who spoke to GIVEMESPORT about what the Toffees’ boss may be thinking about the Ukrainian.
Brown has also spoken about the difficulties that other defenders at Goodison Park are experiencing.
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Mykolenko joined the Merseyside club in January 2022 for a cost of £17 million, according to talkSPORT. The Toffees released Lucas Digne in the same window, necessitating the recruitment of a new left-back. Mykolenko, on the other hand, has had a difficult 18 months. Dyche has yet to use the 24-year-old this season, and he has yet to play a minute of Premier League game.
Ashley Young was signed on a free transfer from Aston Villa during the summer transfer window, and the former England international has been Dyche’s starting left-back so far this season. According to FBref, no player has played more minutes than the experienced versatile defender, and it’s not a good sign for Mykolenko that Dyche would choose a 38-year-old ahead of him in his position.
Now, journalist Brown has weighed in on Mykolenko and how Dyche may feel about the defender, as well as Young and Nathan Patterson, who have both underperformed at times this season.
What did Brown have to say about Everton and Mykolenko?
Brown has stated that he does not feel Dyche currently trusts Mykolenko to play for Everton. However, he is far from the only player who is underperforming, as Brown believes Young and Patterson, who are also struggling, must improve their game in the near future. In an interview with GIVEMESPORT, he stated…
“If we break it down, I believe Patterson is much better offensively than he is defensively.” I believe he makes poor decisions at times, and his positioning is dubious. At full-back, I believe Young has been caught too many times. I think he’s been beaten off the dribble a lot and hasn’t looked like the kind of steady veteran man Dyche was wanting to bring in. Mykolenko, like Patterson, is probably better on the offensive side of the ball than he is on the defensive side. I don’t believe his Everton career ever got off the ground. Dyche does not appear to trust him, and he does not appear to be a Sean Dyche full-back.
So we may see less of him than we would have done under another manager. But I do think all three are struggling a bit at the moment and need to improve.”
Is Mykolenko Everton’s best left-back option?
| Everton | Ashley Young (23/24) | Vitalii Mykolenko (22/23) |
|---|---|---|
| Tackles Per 90 Mins | 2.00 | 1.97 |
| Interceptions Per 90 Mins | 0.50 | 1.56 |
| Take-Ons Success % | 25% | 44% |
| Aerial Duel % Won | 37.5% | 42.4% |
| Stats according to FBref
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There’s an argument to be made that Young hasn’t been much of an upgrade over Mykolenko thus far, and given that the latter is still only 24 years old, it may be time to show him some faith and give him a chance to develop. The Ukraine international has been far from faultless since joining the Premier League, but starting a 38-year-old ahead of him may not be the Toffees’ best long-term strategy.
