Everton must hand Vitalii Mykolenko new contract now as heroics delivered at crucial time
Vitalii Mykolenko was excellent in Ukraine’s 2-0 World Cup qualifying win over Iceland on Sunday.
The win means Ukraine will enter the World Cup play-offs for North America in 2026 after finishing second behind France in Group D.
Mykolenko has been fantastic for Everton since joining from Dynamo Kyiv in 2021, making 133 appearances and scoring four goals for the Toffees.
Mykolenko was left on the bench for Ukraine’s 4-0 defeat to France on Thursday, but produced a monstrous defensive performance on 16 November to help close out his country’s qualifying campaign with a crucial win.
Vitalii Mykolenko defensively outstanding vs Iceland
Mykolenko has been poor at times under David Moyes, but he stepped up when his country needed him most.
Against Iceland, Mykolenko won 83 per cent of his ground duels and 100 per cent of his aerial duels.
| Stat | Vitalii Mykolenko |
| Touches | 82 |
| Ground duels won | 5/6 (83%) |
| Aerial duels won | 2/2 (100%) |
| Recoveries | 7 |
On the ball, Mykolenko had a relatively poor game by his standards, registering a pass accuracy of 59 per cent.
Completing only three of his 19 attempted long balls, he clearly wasn’t at his best when it came to helping his side out from an attacking perspective.
However, he did what he had to do from a defensive aspect to ensure that Ukraine have a chance of competing in their first World Cup since 2006.
With Mykolenko’s contract expiring in June 2026, speculation is mounting over his future in L4.
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Everton must renew Vitalii Mykolenko’s contract
Bournemouth are one of the clubs said to be interested in the 26-year-old, and the last thing the Toffees want is to let their starting left-back leave for another Premier League club on a free transfer.
Everton have a growing lack of depth in both full-back positions, and Adam Aznou’s disappointing move has left the Toffees even lighter at the back.
Links to AC Milan left-back Pervis Estupinan have cast further doubt on Mykolenko’s future.
Whether Everton want him to start or play a role as a squad player, Mykolenko should be of huge importance to Moyes’ plans in the future.
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