Everton’s players likely welcomed the international break with open arms, as it finally allowed them some much-needed rest from the struggles at Goodison Park.
After all, it has been a pretty tough start to the campaign, with three Premier League losses in as many games, shipping ten goals.
Fans expected better, and as such there have been huge debates swirling around the fanbase regarding the squad and Sean Dyche‘s future.
The break came at the perfect time to go away and reassess the situation, collecting thoughts and hopefully returning refreshed.
However, whilst some players like Jordan Pickford and Idrissa Gana Gueye enjoyed strong international breaks, others, like Vitaliy Mykolenko, seem to have only exacerbated their stress.
Vitaliy Mykolenko pictured arguing with Ukraine fans
The latest on this particular event comes courtesy of Champion, relayed by Sport Witness, who have showcased how the full-back has become intertwined with huge fan unrest from the Ukraine faithful.
Having joined the Toffees in 2022 for just £17m, at first there were fears over his capability as a one-on-one defender.
However, it did not take long for Dyche to whip the 25-year-old into shape, and at times last season he was their most important player.
Naturally, he has grown in stature within his national team too, which likely explained why he was right at the front last night fighting his teammates’ corner.
Curses were hurled at Mykolenko as he approached the buffer, before a plastic cup was literally thrown at Andriy Yarmolenko just seconds later.
Despite trying to calm the situation, Everton’s only fit and proper left-back has instead been caught up in quite the mess.
Ironically, Mykolenko actually almost left Everton in the summer too, which really would have left them in the lurch in that position.
Sean Dyche could drop Vitaliy Mykolenko vs Aston Villa
So, with this remarkable unrest in mind, perhaps Dyche might consider dropping Mykolenko for this weekend’s trip to Aston Villa.
After all, it’s hardly like they would be missing out on much anyway, with the former Dynamo Kyiv man having endured a trying start to the new term.
Ashley Young would be the only viable alternative, which might worry most, but after such a tough start, something has to change.
Especially when Mykolenko could so easily remain distracted after a really upsetting episode whilst away with his national team.
This season compared to the last, the defender’s tackling is down from 2.5 to 1.3 per game, and his ball recoveries are also down from 5.1 to 3.7, via Sofascore.
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