Vitalii Mykolenko is not exactly the best player at Everton.
The Ukraine international is wildly inconsistent, a statement encapsulated by his recent display in the 2-1 win over Fulham where he scored an own goal before assisting Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall for the equaliser.
Everton have a decision to make as Vitalii Mykolenko sees his current contract terms expire in July, but The Friedkin Group should keep the left-back despite his struggles for consistency.
Mykolenko is out of contract at the end of the season, would you let him leave on a free transfer?
Everton's Vitali Mykolenko.
Three things Everton must do to the left-back department this summer
Everton should keep the Ukrainian, but he should not be a regular in the starting XI next season.
We feel the Toffees should look to loan the talented Adam Aznou out, as the 19-year-old has not been given a second of Premier League football since his £8m move from Bayern Munich and is seeing his development take a dent.
Once that happens, there is an option to extend Mykolenko’s contract by a further 12 months which Everton should trigger. Even though we think the Everton No.16 should be replaced, he remains good enough to stay at the Hill Dickinson Stadium as a backup option.
Hopefully, a top left-back can then be found by The Friedkin Group who can nail down the position immediately.
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Doing these three things would allow Everton to sort out an important position which has been neglected for too long, develop a young talent in Aznou and also ensure Moyes has an experienced backup option in Mykolenko without needing to spend.
Everton should still seek talks with Vitalii Mykolenko
Everton have the power to trigger the additional year on Mykolenko’s contract without needing the 26-year-old to approve it.
However, it is important that Everton run this potential plan by him before activating the clause, or Moyes could be left with an unhappy player on his hands for the 2026/27 season.
Should David Moyes play with a back three and wing-backs more regularly for Everton?
Here's an XI the manager could go with after the switch-up vs Leeds… 🤔
A custom graphic showing Everton in a 3-4-2-1 formation.
Credit: GRV Media
If Mykolenko does agree to be a backup next term, then our proposed plan has legs.
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