‘Injury prone’ Everton defender Yerry Mina set for spell on sidelines with calf problem
Everton manager Rafa Benitez has described Yerry Mina as “injury prone” after the defender was forced off in the first half against Arsenal.
The Toffees beat the Gunners 2-1 at Goodison Park on Monday night (6 December), but Mina only lasted half an hour before being substituted.
It was the Colombian’s first appearance in nine weeks after recovering from a hamstring problem, but Benitez said after the game that he has now sustained a different injury.
“He has a problem with his calf, not with his hamstring,” the Everton boss said [Liverpool Echo].
“So it is something different. There are some players we know are injury prone. Yerry has been unlucky with injuries in the last two or three years.
“We saw he was fine, he was training well, he was ready. If you told me he had a calf problem then he would not have been totally ready but he was doing everything, he was training really well during the week.
“The problems he has, it is difficult to manage, when he has to compete every time, rather than anything we did. In this case we were 100% sure he was ready and it is another type of injury.
“When a player has an injury he has more chances to have more injuries. So in the case of Yerry, he has a lot of them and it is why he still has some issues when fit.”
Frustration
Benitez’s frustration is shared by all supporters as Mina is set to face another spell on the sidelines.
The centre-back was a huge miss during his two-month absence and it was fantastic to see him back in the side on Monday night.
However that joy was short-lived and it will be hoped that this injury does not rule him out for the same length of time.
Mina also suffered a calf injury last season, but it is unknown whether that is related to the issue he had against Arsenal or whether it is a completely new problem.
It leaves Benitez short of options in defence as he looks to build on Everton’s first win in nine matches.
Ben Godfrey and Michael Keane were the centre-back pairing in Mina’s previous absence, but Godfrey could now be set for a spell at left-back with Lucas Digne dropped on Monday following a reported feud with Benitez.
That leaves Mason Holgate, who replaced the Colombian on Monday, or 19-year-old Jarrad Branthwaite, who has not made a Premier League appearance since July 2020.
In other Everton news, the Toffees want to sign this Premier League full-back as a successor for Seamus Coleman.
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