Everton were without Jarrad Branthwaite and Vitalii Mykolenko for the 0-0 draw against Newcastle
Everton are hopeful Jarrad Branthwaite and Vitalii Mykolenko will be available after the international break. Both defenders were forced out of the draw with Newcastle United, leaving Sean Dyche having to reshuffle his back line once again this season.
They could return for Ipswich Town when Everton travel to Portman Road in a fortnight, though both issues will be closely monitored by the club. It is hoped fellow defenders Seamus Coleman and Nathan Patterson will also make progress in their recoveries over the coming weeks.
Branthwaite made his first senior start of the season in the win over Crystal Palace last week, coming through unscathed after a summer on the sidelines following a groin operation. He did train at Finch Farm this week but was ruled out of the Newcastle match due to the emergence of a thigh complaint.
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Dyche said on Saturday night: “We’re hopeful that he will be back for the next one, we’ll just have to wait and see.”
Mykolenko suffered a calf issue that the club also hopes is a minor problem. After the match, Dyche said he remained unsure whether the left back would join the Ukraine side this week, explaining: “We will wait and see, they have jurisdiction, so they might want to see him, I don’t know yet, because when they have jurisdiction we can’t keep him here. If they want to see him they can see him.”
Their returns would offer a vital boost going into the Ipswich match and could coincide with comebacks for at least one natural right back. Coleman is fighting to overcome a calf issue and Patterson, who had hamstring surgery at the end of last season, has now played three matches for the Under-21s, including two in five days this week.
On the potential for players to return, Dyche said: “It would be helpful, we are carrying a thin squad and we have had umpteen injuries… it has been a real challenge.”