Vitaliy Mykolenko could quit Everton in January as Journalist shares Sean Dyche stance
Everton defender Vitaliy Mykolenko could now quit Goodison Park in January as manager Sean Dyche no longer trusts him to start in his starting eleven.
Former Daily Star journalist Paul Brown told GiveMeSport (8 September) that Dyche even prefers the likes of Ashley Young and Nathan Patterson to play at left-back over the Ukrainian despite them starting the season off poorly.
Mykolenko signed for the Merseyside club for a fee of £17m during the January transfer window in 2022 but has struggled to establish himself in the Everton team, and is yet to start under the former Burnley boss so far this season.
Ashley Young was brought in during the summer transfer window on a free transfer after his Aston Villa contract expired, and the former England international has been the starting left-back for Dyche so far this term with Patterson at right-back.
And Brown believes that Mykolenko isn’t trusted by Dyche because he isn’t to his liking as much as Young and Patterson are.
He said:
said: “If we break it down, I think Patterson is much better going forward than he is defensively. I think he makes bad decisions at times and his positioning is questionable.
“I think Young has been caught out too often already at full-back. I think he’s beaten off the dribble quite a lot and hasn’t really looked the kind of solid experienced pro that I think Dyche was hoping to bring in there.
“Mykolenko, in a similar way to Patterson, is probably better going forward than he is on the other side of the game. I don’t really feel like his Everton career has ever got off the ground.
“It doesn’t seem like Dyche trusts him really, he just doesn’t seem like 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.”
The full-back positions at Goodison Park have become a problem area for a long while now, with previous managers having to utilise round pegs in square holes because of injuries and a lack of quality options available.
It was a priority position for Dyche during the summer transfer window but Everton had to make do with Young when he became available on a free contract, but yet the left-back position still hasn’t been addressed with the club arguably wanting a more younger and vibrant option.
Mykolenko has had some encouraging performances in a Toffees shirt, and there was a point under Frank Lampard where it seemed that he and Patterson had become Everton’s long-term solutions
But clearly, Dyche isn’t sold on him and such a stance could see the Ukrainian international seek pastures new in the summer, especially due to the fact that he’s at an age where he needs to be playing football and could lose his place in the national team too.
The fact that a 38-year-old has been chosen ahead of him certainly won’t do his confidence any good right now and even if Seamus Coleman were to return from his injury layoff in the coming week or so, it seems as if Dyche will still turn the experience of Young at left-back.
It may be best for Mykolenko if he parted ways in January, his long-term career chances may depend on this pivotal decision.
In other Everton news, Alan Myers has shared his stance on whether Everton will explore a free transfer opportunity to replace Demarai Gray.