Everton: Dyche now 'doesn't trust' £17m star at Goodison Park

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·8 September 2023

Everton: Dyche now 'doesn't trust' £17m star at Goodison Park

Everton defender Vitalii Mykolenko could struggle to become a regular under Sean Dyche, as journalist Paul Brown discusses what the Toffees' manager could be thinking about the Ukrainian, while speaking to GIVEMESPORT.

Brown has also discussed the difficulties other defenders at Goodison Park are facing.

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Mykolenko signed for the Merseyside club for a fee of £17m during the January transfer window in 2022, as per talkSPORT. The Toffees offloaded Lucas Digne in the same window, meaning a new left-back was necessary. However, it's been a tricky 18 months for Mykolenko. So far this campaign, Dyche is yet to utilise the 24-year-old, who has failed to play even a minute of Premier League football.

Ashley Young was brought in during the summer transfer window on a free transfer after his Aston Villa contract expired, and the former England international has been the starting left-back for Dyche so far this term. No player has played more minutes than the experienced versatile defender, as per FBref, and it's certainly not a good sign for Mykolenko that Dyche would prefer a 38-year-old ahead of him in his position.

Now, journalist Brown has given his verdict on Mykolenko and how Dyche might be feeling about the defender, whilst also discussing Young and Nathan Patterson, who have both struggled at times this season.

What has Brown said about Everton and Mykolenko?

Brown has suggested that he doesn't believe Dyche trusts Mykolenko to feature in his Everton side at the moment. However, he's certainly not the only player to be performing poorly, as Brown believes Young and Patterson need to up their game in the near future, with both players struggling. Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, he said...

"If we break it down, I think Patterson is much better going forward than he is defensively. I think he makes bad decisions at times and his positioning is questionable. I think Young has been caught out too often already at full-back. I think he's beaten off the dribble quite a lot and hasn't really looked the kind of solid experienced pro that I think Dyche was hoping to bring in there. Mykolenko, in a similar way to Patterson, is probably better going forward than he is on the other side of the game. I don't really feel like his Everton career has ever got off the ground. It doesn't seem like Dyche trusts him really, he just doesn't seem like a Sean Dyche full-back. So we may see less of him than we would have done under another manager. But I do think all three are struggling a bit at the moment and need to improve."

Is Mykolenko Everton's best left-back option?

There's certainly an argument that Young hasn't been much of an upgrade on Mykolenko so far, and considering the latter is still only 24 years old, it could be time to show him some faith and give him the chance to develop. The Ukraine international has been far from perfect since his move to the Premier League, but starting a 38-year-old ahead of him might not be a smart, long-term plan for the Toffees.