Everton return to action at Hull City on Sunday as David Moyes' men look to extend their unbeaten record this season
David Moyes speaks to Ainsley Maitland-Niles during the match between Everton and Ipswich Town at Hill Dickinson Stadium on September 19, 2026
David Moyes speaks to Ainsley Maitland-Niles during the match between Everton and Ipswich Town at Hill Dickinson Stadium on September 19, 2026
View 2 Images
After a three-week lay-off for the new-look extended international break, Everton finally return to action against Hull City at the MKM Stadium at 2pm on Sunday. The Blues are unbeaten in seven matches in all competitions so far this season but their newly promoted Tigers go into the fixture just one point below David Moyes’ men in the table after two wins, two draws and one defeat from their first five Premier League games.
Everton could have big selection calls to make in three distinct areas of the pitch. First of all, Moyes is sweating on the fitness of Vitalii Mykolenko who has played all 630 minutes of action for them so far this term.
Mykolenko won his 55th cap for Ukraine as he played the entire game in their 1-0 UEFA Nations League B away win over Hungary at the Puskas Arena, Budapest, on September 25, but he has been absent for the last three matches with an unspecified injury.
READ MORE: 'I’d love to run amok on there' - Billy Kenny describes watching Everton at Hill Dickinson Stadium
READ MORE: I'm loving Thierno Barry's online footage but Everton transfer exit was a disappointment
After the player missed the goalless draw in Georgia, Ukrainian news outlet UNN reported national team coach Andrea Maldara as saying in his pre-match press conference to preview their 3-0 defeat in Northern Ireland: “Unfortunately, we cannot count on Mykolenko, he is not feeling very well. We do not want him to suffer an even more serious injury.”
The 27-year-old was subsequently out for a 2-1 ‘home’ loss to Hungary on Monday night, which took place in Trnava, Slovakia, due to the Russian invasion of their homeland.
The Blues will now be looking to assess Mykolenko’s fitness on his return to Finch Farm and hoping that the precautionary measures taken by his country enable him to feature for them in East Yorkshire.
Along with Ainsley Maitland-Niles (right-back) and Thierno Barry (striker), the left-back is one of three players in the squad who is the only recognised option for Moyes in his position.
Alternatives in the role should Mykolenko remain unavailable include England international pair centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite, who was restricted to just 10 outings in 2025/26 due to hamstring injuries, and the club’s reigning Player of the Season, midfielder James Garner as both were deployed in that area at times during the previous campaign.
Both could potentially feature for the Three Lions tonight as they host Czechia at Wembley after doubling their respective caps tallies during the current break. Garner has made a brace of 20-minute substitute appearances in the 3-2 home defeat to Spain and 7-0 romp in Croatia so far to move up to four caps while Branthwaite earned his second cap with a single-minute cameo against World Cup winners Spain.
In contrast to his left-back worries, Moyes now has a plethora of options in central midfield, despite Everton selling Tim Iroegbunam to this weekend's opponents Hull on transfer deadline day.
The aforementioned Garner, Harrison Armstrong and Hayden Hackney were already all vying for just two spots in the engine room, with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall deployed in a more advanced role, but now summer signing Christian Norgaard is fit.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 2: Christian Norgaard of Everton during the Friendly Match against Blackburn Rovers at at Hill Dickinson Stadium on October 2, 2026 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Tony McArdle/Everton FC via Getty Images)
Christian Norgaard of Everton during the friendly natch against Blackburn Rovers at at Hill Dickinson Stadium on October 2, 2026(Image: Tony McArdle/Everton FC via Getty Images)
View 2 Images
The former Denmark international joined from Arsenal on August 5 for an undisclosed fee understood to be £7million but has so far not featured for his new club.
However, Norgaard made his unofficial debut for the Blues in a 3-3 draw against Blackburn Rovers in a behind closed doors game at Hill Dickinson Stadium and will now be pushing to make his competitive bow.
Meanwhile, Moyes also has a significant call to make on the wings. Jack Grealish is one of those players who stayed behind at Finch Farm during the international break – setting up 16-year-old Jonathan Nsangou for his goal in the aforementioned friendly against Blackburn – having made his first Premier League start since the 1-0 win at Aston Villa on January 18 when Everton defeated Ipswich Town by the same scoreline on September 19.
With Grealish on the left, Brennan Johnson, who has been away with Wales, started on the opposite flank against the Suffolk outfit, but Tyrique George, who has enjoyed an impressive start t
the season, has been on duty with England Under-21s and will be looking for a recall to the starting line-up.
Ensure our latest news and what's on headlines always appear at the top of your Google search by making us a preferred source.Click here to activateor add us as a preferred source in your Google search settings.