Everton injury blow could see David Moyes hand big summer signing his debut
Everton are at risk of being left without a recognised left-back for their trip to Hull City next weekend, and that could give a summer signing a chance to make a long-awaited debut.
The Toffees main man at left-back has been Vitaliy Mykolenko since his arrival in 2022, and the 27-year-old has been one of Everton’s better performers this season.
The Toffees have enjoyed a solid start to the campaign and are currently unbeaten across all competitions. Having picked up nine points from their opening five Premier League games, they sit joint-fourth in the table.
Mykolenko has played every minute of those matches, but Everton now face the prospect of being without him in their away clash against an in-form Hull City side.
That’s because Mykolenko has picked up an injury while on international duty for Ukraine, and has returned to Everton for testing. The knock is not believed to be serious, but until a prognosis is confirmed, his availability for Everton’s next league game is in doubt.
Ukraine manager Andrea Maldera said: “We still cannot count on Mykolenko, unfortunately. He is not feeling very well, we respect him and do not want him to get injured more seriously.”
David Moyes could now face a conundrum over who he starts at left-back should Mykolenko be unavailable, with no senior back-up left-back option available to him.
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One option for Moyes could be to play midfielder James Garner out of position as a left-back.
Garner played as a left-back on three occasions last season, when Mykolenko was absent.
Everton picked up four points from those matches in a defeat to Leeds United, a win over Brighton, and a draw against Aston Villa. Garner contributed an assist in the game against Brighton, too.
But should Moyes opt to go down that route again, he will need to fill the gap in midfield that Garner will leave. That’s where Christian Norgaard comes in.
The 32-year-old Danish international joined Everton from Arsenal in a deal worth around £7million, but he is yet to make an appearance due to an injury.
However, Norgaard is now back in full training and looks set to be at least named in the squad for Everton’s next match against Hull.
The other option for Moyes is to play Ainsley Maitland-Niles at left-back, and play Jake O’Brien at right-back.
Maitland-Niles, 29, joined Everton for £4million on transfer deadline day and has played well in his three appearances, notably scoring a stunning last-minute equaliser against Manchester United.
Maitland-Niles has played as a left-back 26 times in his career, though he hasn’t done it since March last year.
Moyes therefore faces a big decision on how he rejigs his squad with one of his most important players, Mykolenko, potentially out injured.
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