Mykolenko now 'revitalised' at Everton after major Dyche U-turn

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·3 November 2023

Mykolenko now 'revitalised' at Everton after major Dyche U-turn

Everton defender Vitalii Mykolenko has struggled to perform consistently since arriving at Goodison Park, but he's starting to show over the last few weeks why the Toffees invested in him, and journalist Paul Brown has explained the U-turn Sean Dyche has made on him, while speaking to GIVEMESPORT.

The Ukraine international has stepped up to the plate as the Merseyside club have started to show signs of improving, and he's becoming a key figure in Dyche's side. There's no doubt Mykolenko can still improve, but the Everton manager is certainly showing more faith in the defender.

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Mykolenko is now a key player for Sean Dyche

Mykolenko signed for Everton back in January of 2022 from Dynamo Kyiv for a fee of around £17m, per BBC. The Toffees lost Lucas Digne during the same transfer window, a player who was a consistent performer for the club during the years before he departed, but he had fallen out of favour under Rafa Benitez. Mykolenko was only 22 at the time of signing on the dotted line, and he struggled to perform in the early stages of his Everton tenure.

Back in September, journalist Brown told GIVEMESPORT that Dyche simply didn't trust Mykolenko after seeing Ashley Young starting ahead of him in the first few games of the campaign. Young isn't a traditional left-back and is in the final stage of his career at the age of 38, so things were looking bleak for Mykolenko.

However, over the last few games, Young has shifted over to right-back with Mykolenko coming in on the left, and it's started to pay dividends. The 24-year-old was recently named in the WhoScored Premier League Team of the Month, statistically performing better than any other left-back in England's top flight, receiving a rating of 7.30 for October.

Dyche recently discussed the improvement in Mykolenko's game and has admitted that the club are still looking to see improvements from him in terms of the attacking side of his ability...

"He's doing well. I think we are still adapting his attacking game but I think he's defending very well. A lot of strengths and he's enjoying his game."

Paul Brown update

There was certainly a time when Dyche felt the experienced head of Young was a better fit for his Everton side than Mykolenko, but the latter has made it difficult to take him out of the team due to his recent performances. The Ukrainian is still adapting to life in England and has plenty of room to improve, but we're starting to see why the Toffees were keen on bringing him to the Premier League.

Brown has suggested that Mykolenko now looks revitalised and we will hopefully see him build on this momentum and continue impressing. The journalist adds that there are still flaws to his game in terms of positioning and decision-making, but we're starting to see that he's learning from the manager. Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Brown said...

"I think Mykolenko's had a good little spell. There was clearly a time when the manager didn't really trust him and didn't see him as his first choice there. You could tell from the Ashley Young signing that Sean Dyche had concerns about fullbacks, I think on both sides of the pitch really. But Mykolenko has taken his chance since Young's been out and looks revitalised and, hopefully, he can build on this momentum because he's flattered to deceive a little bit at times at Everton. I think he needs a good solid run in the team to prove that he can nail this position down and become a regular starter who is more reliable defensively than anything. Sometimes his positioning and decision-making is what let him down, but hopefully, he's learned from playing under Sean Dyche, perhaps a more solid and less expansive system than he was under the old manager. So, hopefully, it continues."

Reinforcements could be unlikely in January

Everton's financial issues have been well-documented and the club are currently in the middle of a takeover, with 777 Partners agreeing a deal to purchase the club. As a result, the Toffees' financial power in the January transfer window is uncertain.

Brown has recently told GIVEMESPORT that loan deals are more likely than any permanent transfers for Everton when the winter window opens for business. The journalist claims that the Merseyside club are unlikely to be buyers, unless a key asset is sold.