Vitalii Mykolenko shares surgery update as Everton injury news emerges
Everton star Vitalii Mykolenko has revealed he does not need surgery on an ankle injury picked up during the Merseyside derby win over Liverpool.
Writing on his personal Instagram account (30 April), the left-back posted an image of himself and revealed that despite reports elsewhere he does not need surgery after being forced off with a nasty ankle twist during the 2-0 win at Goodison Park on April 24.
But the defender did seem to suggest he would miss the rest of the season at Goodison Park, as he revealed he will be pushing to recover as soon as possible to represent Ukraine at Euro 2024 this summer.
“Firstly I want to say to everyone thank you very much for the words of support,” he wrote. “I read everything and see.
“I do not need surgery and now my goal is to recover as soon as possible and I hope to see you at the Euro.
“For Evertonians, you have been amazing this season, particularly in [the] derby. That’s why I stood up after [the] twist and played as much as I could. See you next season, Toffees.”
Vitalii Mykolenko has been an unsung hero for Everton
Despite being in a relegation battle until the most recent game and win over Brentford at the weekend, defence has actually been one of the team’s strong points this season.
Jordan Pickford has picked up 12 clean sheets in the Premier League, only less than Arsenal’s David Raya, while Jarrad Branthwaite has earned rave reviews for his partnership alongside James Tarkowski.
But Mykolenko’s fantastic work as the first-choice left-back has often gone unnoticed, and he has regularly put in a solid performance that is all that is required of him.
In future, he will likely want to be able to chip in with more goals and assists, with the 24-year-old managing two goals and zero assists this season in all competitions, but he’s there to do a job and he does it well more often than not.
His absence in the final games will be a blow to Sean Dyche, but thankfully the team is already safe from the drop and the focus can be on next season.
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