Vitaliy Mykolenko wowed by ‘Rolls-Royce’ Everton player who ‘always’ covers him

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Vitaliy Mykolenko has lauded one Everton player who he believes is a “Rolls-Royce” at Goodison Park.

Sean Dyche’s side are gearing up to face Liverpool in the Merseyside Derby on Wednesday evening, knowing that a win would go a long way to securing their Premier League status.

There’s the added incentive of potentially landing what would be a fatal blow to the Reds’ title hopes.

Mykolenko has been a regular feature this season, having made 27 Premier League appearances thus far.

And the Ukrainian has been talking ahead of tonight’s fixture.

Vitaliy Mykolenko in awe of ‘Rolls-Royce’ Everton player

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The 24-year-old was quizzed on his relationship with Jarrad Branthwaite, and he gave a glowing review of the 21-year-old.

He said: “We have a very good relationship and he is a Rolls-Royce! I am really happy to be playing next to Jarrad because he always covers me, he is fast and has a good header. He is a very good defender, for sure.”

Can Everton keep Jarrad Branthwaite this summer?

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Branthwaite’s Everton future has emerged as a hot talking point since the January window.

The 21-year-old’s performances have, rightfully, drawn attention. A recent report detailed by TEAMtalk suggested that Bayern Munich have joined Manchester United in showing interest.

Considering the financial situation at Goodison Park, a summer exit, unfortunately, cannot be ruled out. A big bid could easily tempt the Toffees into cashing in.

The Cumbrian-born defender is like gold dust. He’s homegrown, young, left-footed and performing at the highest level. It’s incredibly easy to see why interest has emerged.

BBC Sport pundit Pat Nevin envisages a big bid arriving this summer.

“Top clubs are either keenly watching his meteoric progress or preparing a huge bid,” he explained.

“Any decent offer will be almost impossible to turn down by my old cash-strapped club, however much the Evertonians want to say, ‘mind your own business and leave our best player alone’.”