Everton star faces fitness battle for Liverpool after suffering ‘really serious injury’
Everton left-back Vitalii Mykolenko has suffered what Ukraine coach Serhiy Rebrov described as a “really serious injury”
Derby after he suffered what Ukraine national team coach Serhiy Rebrov described as a “really serious injury.” Mykolenko was playing in Ukraine’s UEFA Nations League play-off against Belgium at the Cegeka Arena in Genk on Sunday night but was forced out of the action on 69 minutes.
With Ukraine unable to play home games in their own country due to the invasion by Russia, they had defeated Belgium 3-1 in the first leg at the Estadio Enrique Roca in Murcia on Thursday.
The second leg was still goalless when Mykolenko – playing on the left-hand side in a 3-4-2-1 formation – left the field. Maxim De Cuyper broke the deadlock just a minute later and Belgium went on to triumph 3-0 on the night and 4-3 on aggregate with a brace from former Everton striker Romelu Lukaku on 75 and 86 minutes.
“Unfortunately, he has an injury, he will do an MRI, we’ll see,” Rebrov was quoted as saying by the Ukraine Football Federation’s website.
“I know Vitalii. If he didn’t continue playing, then the injury was really serious.”
Meanwhile, Ukrainian football reporter Zorya Londonsk subsequently reported that the 25-year-old stopped to talk to reporters in the mixed zone and said: “Mykolenko confirms to us in the mixed zone that it’s a thigh injury he picked up today. He will wait and see the seriousness of it when he returns to Everton tomorrow.”
Everton’s next fixture, against Liverpool at Anfield on Wednesday April 2, will be the last time they ‘cross Stanley Park’ for a Merseyside Derby before they move to their new stadium. Ironically, it was in the reverse fixture against the Reds at Goodison Park last season, when the Blues won 2-0, that Mykolenko, who was widely praised for the manner in which he tamed opposition danger man Mohamed Salah, played his final game of the campaign.
