An update on just why new signing Vitaly Mykolenko has missed out on Everton’s clash with Aston Villa, their first game since Rafa Benitez was sacked, has emerged during the game.
Duncan Ferguson named his first starting XI of his second spell in caretaker charge, and both Mykolenko and fellow January signing Nathan Patterson were left out of his starting XI, with the Ukrainian missing out on the squad entirely.
Duncan Ferguson has named his Everton team to face Aston Villa…#EVEAVL ? #COYB pic.twitter.com/HNQ3PMq4xu
— Everton (@Everton) January 22, 2022
And while it could be seen as an attempt to stamp his own mark on the Everton side after Benitez’s disastrous reign, it has since emerged this may not be the case.
An update, provided by Ukrainian football expert Twitter account Zorya Londonsk, who first broke the news of his move to Everton, has since surfaced.
It appears that Mykolenko misses out on the game thanks to a back strain, rather than any other more nefarious reason.
MYKOLENKO MISSING DUE TO BACK INJURY ?
Vitaliy Mykolenko was seen on the bus today but has not been selected due to a back injury (acc to our sources)
No further information available at this stage pic.twitter.com/rx18SSX2y2
— Zorya Londonsk (@ZoryaLondonsk) January 22, 2022
What about his future?
Any incoming Everton boss has the tricky task of inheriting a squad patched together by several Everton managers, with the influence of Carlo Ancelotti, Marco Silva and Rafa Benitez all on show. Mykolenko, although a Benitez signing, is perhaps the only natural left-back in the squad however, with Ben Godfrey operating there against Aston Villa but naturally a central defender.
This means, provided that he stays in the good books of Ferguson and any potential new manager that comes in, he should still have a future on Merseyside.
