Everton return to action at Hull City at the MKM Stadium at 2pm on Sunday after a three-week lay-off for the extended international break. David Moyes' side are unbeaten in seven matches in all competitions this season, while the newly promoted Tigers sit just one point below them in the table after two wins, two draws and one defeat from their first five Premier League games.
Mykolenko fitness concern
Moyes is sweating on the fitness of Vitalii Mykolenko, who has played all 630 minutes of action for the Blues so far this term. The left-back won his 55th cap for Ukraine when he played the entire 1-0 UEFA Nations League B win over Hungary at the Puskas Arena, Budapest, on September 25, but he has been absent for the last three matches with an unspecified injury.
After the player missed the goalless draw in Georgia, Ukrainian news outlet UNN reported national team coach Andrea Maldara as saying in his pre-match press conference to preview their 3-0 defeat in Northern Ireland: “Unfortunately, we cannot count on Mykolenko, he is not feeling very well. We do not want him to suffer an even more serious injury.”
The 27-year-old was subsequently out for a 2-1 'home' loss to Hungary on Monday night, which took place in Trnava, Slovakia, due to the Russian invasion of their homeland. Everton will now assess Mykolenko's fitness on his return to Finch Farm, hoping the precautionary measures taken by his country enable him to feature in East Yorkshire.
Central midfield options
Along with Ainsley Maitland-Niles (right-back) and Thierno Barry (striker), the left-back is one of three players in the squad who is the only recognised option for Moyes in his position. Alternatives should Mykolenko remain unavailable include England international pair centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite, who was restricted to just 10 outings in 2025/26 due to hamstring injuries, and the club's reigning Player of the Season, midfielder James Garner, as both were deployed in that area at times during the previous campaign.
Both could potentially feature for the Three Lions tonight as they host Czechia at Wembley after doubling their respective caps tallies during the current break. Garner has made a brace of 20-minute substitute appearances in the 3-2 home defeat to Spain and 7-0 romp in Croatia so far to move up to four caps, while Branthwaite earned his second cap with a single-minute cameo against World Cup winners Spain.
In contrast to his left-back worries, Moyes now has a plethora of options in central midfield, despite Everton selling Tim Iroegbunam to this weekend's opponents Hull on transfer deadline day. Garner, Harrison Armstrong and Hayden Hackney were already vying for just two spots in the engine room, with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall deployed in a more advanced role, but now summer signing Christian Norgaard is fit.
Wing dilemma
The former Denmark international joined from Arsenal on August 5 for an undisclosed fee understood to be £7million but has so far not featured for his new club. However, Norgaard made his unofficial debut for the Blues in a 3-3 draw against Blackburn Rovers in a behind closed doors game at Hill Dickinson Stadium and will now be pushing to make his competitive bow.
Moyes also has a significant call to make on the wings. Jack Grealish is one of those players who stayed behind at Finch Farm during the international break – setting up 16-year-old Jonathan Nsangou for his goal in the aforementioned friendly against Blackburn – having made his first Premier League start since the 1-0 win at Aston Villa on January 18 when Everton defeated Ipswich Town by the same scoreline on September 19.
With Grealish on the left, Brennan Johnson, who has been away with Wales, started on the opposite flank against the Suffolk outfit, but Tyrique George, who has enjoyed an impressive start to the season, has been on duty with England Under-21s and will be looking for a recall to the starting line-up.
