Everton may need to alter their formation if Vitalii Mykolenko is ruled out of the season opener against Leeds United next week. The left-back sustained an injury in the early stages of Saturday's friendly match with Roma.
David Moyes admitted after the game that the extent of the injury was uncertain, although the Ukrainian international managed to leave Hill Dickinson Stadium without assistance.
If Mykolenko is unfit for the trip to Elland Road, Moyes might have to take a risk or deviate from his favoured back four formation. The most direct replacement would be recent signing Adam Aznou. Despite being highly regarded, the left-back is inexperienced and struggled when he came on against Roma.
He was later substituted for Seamus Coleman, whose return to fitness could offer Moyes another option if Mykolenko is unavailable, reports the Liverpool Echo.
Rather than relying on Aznou to quickly adapt or asking Coleman to play out of position, Moyes could consider switching to a back three.
Everton's squad is arguably strongest in the centre-back position, and a trio of Jake O'Brien, Jarrad Branthwaite and James Tarkowski would provide a robust defensive line.
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This arrangement would allow Moyes to utilise Aznou as a left wing-back, a role better suited to his attacking tendencies and one where he would have more defensive cover than at left-back.
Coleman could take up a position on the opposite wing, although Moyes might be tempted to utilise someone like Dwight McNeil in a deeper role on the left instead of Aznou.
Should he opt for this approach, he could field a midfield trio of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, James Garner and Idrissa Gueye, with either Iliman Ndiaye or Carlos Alcaraz operating behind the striker.
The likely choice for that forward role would be Beto, who has claimed the number nine shirt for the new season, despite having a challenging summer. Beto's sole pre-season goal came from a penalty during an away match against Accrington Stanley last month.
Thierno Barry started in place of Beto in the Roma game, but while Moyes spoke positively of him post-match, he emphasised that the 22 year old would need time to adapt to the Premier League.
In addition to Mykolenko, Everton are also keeping a close eye on the fitness of Harrison Armstrong and Nathan Patterson. Armstrong missed the weekend's game due to a minor thigh strain picked up in training, and it's uncertain whether he'll be fit for the Leeds match. Patterson is currently being evaluated for a potential hernia problem.
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