Credit: Imago

Aheed Abrar

Wed 1 April 2026 15:40, UK

Everton will surely be sweating over Vitalii Mykolenko, who missed Ukraine’s 1-0 win over Albania on Tuesday due to an injury.

Serhiy Rebrov was expecting the left-back to be available for the friendly on 31 March, but he seems to have pulled out at the last minute after a doctor’s visit.

The Ukraine head coach revealed the 26-year-old’s fitness issue but shared that it may not be a serious knock and expects the defender to return to Hill Dickinson Stadium in good condition.

While Rebrov allayed any fears regarding Mykolenko’s injury, the Toffees will undoubtedly want to double-check before passing him fit for against Brentford on 11 April.

David Moyes is already without Jack Grealish after his long-term injury and wouldn’t want to lose any more players in the final stretch of the Premier League season.

Vitalii Mykolenko absence a major blow for Everton in European race

Mykolenko is the only left-back Moyes seems to trust at the Toffees this season.

Adam Aznou’s career at Hill Dickinson Stadium has stalled, with the Scottish manager hardly giving him any opportunities.

In the Ukraine defender’s absence in the current campaign, Jarrad Branthwaite and James Garner have played in his position.

If Moyes loses Mykolenko for a few games, it would undoubtedly hinder their chances of finishing in a European spot in the league table.

The most obvious choice at left-back would seemingly be Garner, but breaking up his partnership with Idrissa Gueye in the middle of the park will arguably have a detrimental effect on the Merseyside outfit’s performance.

Dan Friedkin has clear summer transfer priority at Hill Dickinson Stadium

There have been talks suggesting Moyes may be offered a new contract at Everton, and if that happens, it’s unlikely Aznou will want to stay.

As things stand, Mykolenko’s current contract at Hill Dickinson Stadium expires at the end of the season, making defensive reinforcements an evident priority for the Blues in the summer.

The situation at right-back isn’t any different, with Jake O’Brien playing out of position, Nathan Patterson struggling for game time and Seamus Coleman’s career probably winding down.

Fans in L4 expect Dan Friedkin to invest heavily in Moyes’ squad in the upcoming transfer window and bolstering the backline should be the recruitment department’s focus.