Sean Dyche now handed big boost as Everton star set to be available to face Spurs

Add as preferred source on Google

Everton have been handed a huge injury boost ahead of this weekend’s clash with Tottenham Hotspur.

The Toffees’ high from claiming four wins on the bounce was brought crashing down midweek, as they were knocked out of the Carabao Cup quarter-finals by Fulham.

Sean Dyche’s side hadn’t conceded a goal since the 3-0 defeat to Manchester United last month, but a Michael Keane own goal put them behind.

Beto’s late equaliser wasn’t enough for Everton and they were eventually beaten on penalties.

It was the second game in a row where Vitaliy Mykolenko was unavailable, having suffered a groin injury following the 2-0 win over Chelsea.

Everton brought Nathan Patterson into the fold in his place and the Scot put on two solid displays, though it is hard to reach the level that Mykolenko has met in recent months.

With a huge clash against Tottenham coming up, Everton fans will be delighted after Sean Dyche confirmed the Ukrainian is now in contention to return to the starting line-up.

As per The Athletic, Dyche stated that Mykolenko is ‘back in the thinking’ for Saturday’s match at Goodison Park.

Given Mykolenko’s form prior to his injury, it would be a surprise if he didn’t slot straight back into the defence.

Meanwhile, Dyche also revealed that Seamus Coleman as ‘tough and go’, while Ashley Young is ‘making progress’. Injuries to the defenders will make Mykolenko’s return an even bigger relief, while it could even mean Patterson retains his place in the team too.

How important has Vitaliy Mykolenko been?

Vitaliy Mykolenko had initially struggled to impress at Everton following his move from Dynamo Kyiv, but the full-back has looked a man transformed this term.

As well as scoring back-to-back goals against Brighton and Crystal Palace, the 24-year-old has also won the seventh-most tackles in the Premier League (43) and has played an important role in claiming six clean sheets in the last ten games.

Everton fans should feel a lot more relaxed about this weekend’s game if it is Mykolenko coming up against some of the top flight’s best attackers in Heung-min Son and Dejan Kulusevski.

The Toffees will be hungry for points after their disappointing omission from the Carabao Cup, while Tottenham look to have returned to winning ways over their past two fixtures.

Victory for the Merseyside outfit could move them to as high as 12th place in the league table, and could have potentially put them into seventh place without the 10-point deduction.