Vitalii Mykolenko ruled out as Ukraine coach explains Everton defender absence

Everton defender Vitalii Mykolenko will miss Ukraine’s match against Northern Ireland after national team coach Andrea Maldara confirmed he is not fit enough to play.

Mykolenko has been ruled out on health grounds, with Ukraine unwilling to risk aggravating the problem during the international break.

“Unfortunately, we cannot count on Mykolenko, he is not feeling very well,” Maldara said, in comments reported by Ukrainian outlet UNN and subsequently by the Liverpool Echo.

“We do not want him to suffer an even more serious injury.”

The wording will inevitably be of interest to Everton, although there has been no indication so far of how long Mykolenko could be unavailable.

Everton wait on Mykolenko fitness

Mykolenko played the full 90 minutes as Ukraine beat Hungary 1-0 earlier in the international window but has since been unavailable.

Ukraine’s decision not to use the left-back against Northern Ireland means David Moyes will now wait for further information before Everton’s domestic programme resumes.

No timescale for Mykolenko’s return to full training has been given, so there is little value in trying to judge at this stage whether his availability for Everton will be affected.

The situation comes during an otherwise relatively quiet international break for Moyes, with the Everton manager using the period to work with those remaining at Finch Farm. We looked at those plans during the international break earlier this week.

There has also been positive news for Harrison Armstrong, who has been added to Lee Carsley’s England Under-21 squad following withdrawals elsewhere in the group.

Armstrong joins fellow Everton youngsters Tyler Dibling and Tyrique George in the squad.

We covered the background to Armstrong’s progress in our recent look at the developments surrounding the Everton midfielder.

For Everton, though, Mykolenko’s condition is the immediate concern. Ukraine have decided not to take any further risk with him, and Moyes will hope the decision ensures the defender is available when club football resumes.

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