Everton’s £58k-a-week ace now ‘starting to prove his critics wrong’ after West Ham

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Everton defender Vitaliy Mykolenko has been subject to criticism for most of his time at Goodison Park, but he is now starting to silence the haters.

Mykolenko delivered an excellent performance as Everton kept a clean sheet against West Ham, helping shut out in-form winger Jarrod Bowen, and the left-back is now starting to show why the club brought him in.

Everton’s victory was an impressive one, and whilst goalscorer Dominic Calvert-Lewin has taken most of the plaudits, Mykolenko has earned some praise for his display.

Mykolenko hailed following Everton victory

The Liverpool Echo have now hailed the Ukrainian for his display at the London Stadium, giving him a 7/10 rating and highlighting how he was useful in countering the pace of West Ham.

“Starting to prove his critics wrong. He didn’t give Jarrod Bowen a sniff, and when Paqueta was moved out to his flank, he also marshalled him really well,” they claimed of Mykolenko.

Mykolenko’s strong display

The 24-year-old won six ground duels, remarkably made 15 defensive actions and six recoveries as per FotMob.

He was brilliant in large spells of the game, helping nullify the threat of Bowen, who had scored six goals in the nine games leading up to Sunday’s clash.

The £58k-a-week full-back has not been consistent throughout his 59 Everton appearances, but at 24, he is still relatively young for a defender. He has been fairly impressive in recent weeks, and his display at West Ham could hopefully be a springboard for him to launch his Everton career.

He arrived in January 2022 from Dynamo Kyiv, and has missed just three games due to injury. A rugged defender in style, if he can perform like he did yesterday on a more consistent basis, he has the potential to quickly become a fan favourite and a first-pick at the back under Sean Dyche.