Everton fans will be relieved as Vitalii Mykolenko footage emerges ahead of Aston Villa
Vitalii Mykolenko’s involvement in Everton’s clash against Aston Villa on Saturday is in doubt.
The Toffees received a blow when Mykolenko left the Ukraine national camp with an injury last week, with an MRI scan reported revealing further problems for the defender.
The Toffees are seriously lacking in depth in defence, with several players suffering from issues already this season.
Mykolenko had returned from a previous injury when Everton played Mansfield Town in the Carabao Cup last month, with the 26-year-old going on to feature against Wolves, too.
But following his latest knock, Mykolenko was absent from Everton training as David Moyes’ side began their preparations for the Villa game at the start of the week.
Vitalii Mykolenko appears in new Everton video
Adam Aznou made his return from injury for Everton’s development side last week, but the full-back is not expected to start against Villa, having spent weeks on the medical table.
The Morocco international’s absence could see James Garner reprise his left-back role, after impressing in the position in both of the Toffees’ opening games.
Moyes will hope to have his defensive options return soon; however, Everton are also suffering from the loss of Jarrad Branthwaite.
The England international is expected to return to training imminently and could be joined by Mykolenko, should the defender’s appearance in a video posted by Everton be anything to go by.
The video, posted on Thursday and captioned “back in the building and looking ahead to Villa”, featured several players returning to training following the international break.
Among them was Mykolenko, and the Ukrainian looked to be walking comfortably, without any visible strapping or support.
Whilst the appearance does not necessarily suggest the left-back is in contention for the Villa clash, Everton fans will be encouraged by seeing the 26-year-old without any noticeable signs of injury.
Vitalii Mykolenko return would allow James Garner to return to midfield
Whilst Garner has impressed on the left of defence, his true value to Moyes comes when he is deployed in midfield.
| James Garner | Vs Wolves (A) |
| Minutes played | 90 |
| Pass accuracy | 88% |
| Tackles | 3 |
| Duels won | 5 |
| Recoveries | 5 |
| Interceptions | 3 |
The 24-year-old was impressive against Wolves, helping the Toffees control the action in the middle of the park whilst linking up with his teammates.
Garner has formed a strong partnership with Idrissa Gueye over the last season, and Moyes will not be eager to break it up once more.
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