With Vitalii Mykolenko having suffered a series of setbacks over the past 18 months, the ECHO looks at the options available to Everton should his issues continue
LEEDS, ENGLAND - AUGUST 18: David Moyes, head coach of Everton, during the Premier League match between Leeds United and Everton at Elland Road on August 18, 2025 in Leeds, England. (Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images)
Everton boss David Moyes is again sweating on the fitness of Vitalii Mykolenko
(Image: James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images)
As players start to return from international action, attention can firmly return to the Premier League after a break that came at a frustrating time for Everton. Three wins in a week, particularly the feel-good, attacking adventure at Wolves led by Jack Grealish, meant the Blues entered the first interlude of the season in positive fashion for the first time in years.
One of the biggest challenges for David Moyes will have been to have kept that momentum going among those who remained at Finch Farm - and to now rekindle it within those who departed for action overseas.
Another will be to work out precisely what to do in an area where the squad has struggled in the opening weeks of the Premier League campaign - left back.
After missing the first two matches, Vitalii Mykolenko was then withdrawn from contention for Ukraine over concerns about his condition. The fortnight break may have helped him in that battle but given the number of injuries he has sustained in the past 18 months, Moyes cannot continue to work on the basis he will always be available.
So what are his alternative options heading into a busy few months?
Adam Aznou
This is an issue that Moyes was attuned to through the summer, and some work was undertaken to address it. The challenge was his squad required such a dramatic rebuild that covering every base was a near-impossible task.
In Adam Aznou, the long-term solution of this problem may well have been solved. The teenager, signed from Bayern Munich, is a Morocco international raised through the famed Barcelona academy La Masia and so arrives on Merseyside with a significant pedigree.
Injuries meant he was unavailable to cover Mykolenko at the start of the season - though 81 minutes for the Under-21s just before the international break point to progress on that front.
The question for Moyes is to what extent he can rely on Aznou as a first-team option this year. He was required from the first minutes in the pre-season friendly against Roma after Mykolenko was forced off injured but struggled in that match.
While he did play first team football last season it was in a Real Valladolid side that finished bottom of La Liga and the Premier League is often tough to acclimatise to even for more established players.
If Moyes believes being a specialist in the role trumps experience then Aznou’s availability ends this debate. If it does not - and his persistence with centre back Jake O’Brien in the other full-back slot even when the likes of Seamus Coleman and Nathan Patterson have been fit suggest this may be the case - then the short-term answer may be one of the following options.
Jarrad Branthwaite
Moyes trusts Michael Keane and that, combined with his willingness to use O’Brien at right back, may have led to him using Jarrad Branthwaite on the left had he been fit at the start of the season.
It would not have been ideal and would have pulled apart the central axis of Branthwaite, James Tarkowski and Jordan Pickford he sought to build his new-look squad around, but the 22-year-old’s wider talent, his pace and his comfort on his left foot would have made him a capable option in a position he played in a Carabao Cup match against Fulham under Sean Dyche.
The use of centre backs out wide has been a feature of the approaches of some of the league’s title challengers, including Manchester City and Arsenal, and would not have been particularly extraordinary.
Branthwaite’s injury removed this as an option to Moyes but, should the problem crop up again this season, it will be interesting to see whether this becomes his solution - something that might hold extra appeal with Keane’s solid start covering the defender.
James Garner
There is, of course, the option to revert to the tactic used in the first two games of the season. At Leeds United and then at home to Brighton, Moyes turned to the versatile James Garner to play on the left of the defence.
While the central midfielder has significant experience on the other side of the back line - he won the Under-21s Euros with England there a few years ago - playing on his weaker foot was an altogether different challenge.
The 24-year-old fought hard in both matches but it was clear this was not his natural position, while his loss from the centre of midfield had the added consequence of weakening Everton’s core. The signing of Merlin Rohl will provide more cover on that front going forward but Garner was excellent in the middle at Molineux and the lack of depth there will mean his presence will always be valued.
Dwight McNeil
There was surprise in some quarters that Dwight McNeil was not an option Moyes used at the start of the season. Hard-working and naturally left-footed, McNeil was often used as a defensive-minded wide midfielder under Dyche and while moving him back would have been a different challenge, his game would not necessarily have needed significant adaptation. Using him there would also have allowed Moyes to exploit his ability to distribute the ball from deep on his natural side and keep Garner in a central role.
Going forward, working to improve McNeil’s understanding of the full-back role feels like an easy-win and one that would increase his chances of getting a game. He appears to have fallen behind Jack Grealish, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Carlos Alcaraz, Iliman Ndiaye and probably Tyler Dibling in the battle for attacking midfield opportunities but if he could show potential at converting to a genuine left-back option, it could offer him a pathway into Moyes’ first team.
A new signing
The fact Moyes has not moved to bring in an additional player suggests this is not a route he will go down - even more so given he ended the transfer window actively exploring options to bolster the left side of his defence. But there are left-back options with Premier League experience who remain free agents.
Jamal Lewis left Newcastle United this summer while Sergio Reguilon, formerly of Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United, left Spurs - a club he spent more time away from on loan than vying for a spot in the team.
Reports suggest Lewis may be heading to Saudi Arabia but, for the time being, the options are there if there was a change of heart.