Everton face transfer decision U-turn after Vitaliy Mykolenko development
Everton may accelerate contract negotiations with veteran duo Ashley Young and Seamus Coleman following the news of a further possible injury setback for Vitaliy Mykolenko.
Mykolenko – whose club campaign was curtailed during April’s Merseyside derby win over Liverpool – suffered another injury setback in Ukraine’s win over Moldova on Tuesday (11 June), potentially ruling him out of Euro 2024 after the call was initially made against surgery on the full-back’s original ankle ligament issue.
Toffees club captain Coleman, 35, and ex-England man Young, who turns 39 next month, are both currently in talks to remain at Goodison Park for another year.
Everton may need both Seamus Coleman and Ashley Young next season
It was mooted before the end of the season that Everton would be proactive in cutting costs by keeping just one of the experienced duo in the squad, but the most effective method for both Sean Dyche and the board could be to keep Coleman and Young rather than fork out millions on a replacement for Mykolenko if the Ukrainian is forced to miss a prolonged period.
With the financial chaos bewildering Blues fans as Farhad Moshiri looks to sell his majority share, the club will not be hasty to splash out if they don’t need to, with Dyche seemingly satisfied with the full-back options at his disposal.
Everton have been heavily linked with a host of central-midfield players amid talk that they are willing to let Amadou Onana join a Champions League club after his stint at the Euros with Belgium.
But now the full-back area will be alerted to Dyche, particularly with Ben Godfrey reportedly resisting a new contract and the injury woes surrounding Nathan Patterson.
Rather than risking the question marks over whether an incoming arrival will be ready-made for the structural style of play under Dyche in the Premier League, Young and Coleman offer a known, and reliable, quantity to both the team and the dressing room.
Mykolenko, as witnessed again on Ukraine duty, unfortunately cannot be relied upon to stay fit through a whole season.
In other Everton news, Noel Gallagher has compared the Toffees to Manchester City before 2008.
For more Everton news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.